Reviews of
Brother Jones

Garth Stein’s family-reunion drama follows the familiar plot structure in which a character, after years away from tumultuous family life, returns to face demons. In this case Jones Riddell (a stoic Patrick Gorman) leaves the comfort of his successful urban life to visit his drunken father, Samuel (John Ross Clark), and his troubled sisters, Serena (Tricia Allen) and Eliza (Ongyie Phoeriy), who still occupy a ramshackle house in the American Northwest. Jones’ British wife, Sara (Elizabeth Reynolds), offers an outsider’s point of view on a truly minacious family dynamic. Stein’s taut script sounds like a less poetic Tennessee Williams, with characters brimming with intensity. Allen’s gutsy, fascinating portrayal of Serena evokes the spirit of Blanche DuBois, while director Tony Gatto pushes his cast to the extremes suggested by the text — except for Gorman, who is allowed to hold back until he needs to strike. Christopher Nelson’s ingeniously ugly set has one worried that the ancient house it evokes won’t last through the evening’s performance. The entire spectacle moves from provoking an initial sense of overacting to a final realization of bravura performances.

-- Tom Provenzano