Theater Review: "Water by the Spoonful" by Capital Classics

“Water by the Spoonful” is a Pulitzer Prize-Winning play written by Quiara Alegria Hudes. Capital Classics Theatre Company is presenting a fully-produced production directed by Christopher Andrew Rowe on the Hoffman Auditorium stage at the University of St. Joseph as part of their Contemporary Classics Conversations series. The theme of the series is “From Adversary, We Advance.” Performances continue through Jan. 29.

The play was originally commissioned by Hartford Stage and the world premiere was presented there in 2011 when Darko Tresnjak was artistic director. The New York premiere was produced two years later by Second Stage Theatre.

The work is part of a trilogy written by Hudes. “Water by the Spoonful” is the second part of the Elliot trilogy that began with “Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue” and concludes with “The Happiest Song Plays Last.”

The first part of the trilogy tells the story of a twenty-four-year-old Puerto Rican Marine struggling to come to terms with his time in Iraq, as well as his father's and grandfather's service in Vietnam and Korea. The second play in the series takes place several years later when Eliott has returned to his home in Philadelphia after being wounded. “Water” shows the aftermath of the death of Ginny, Elliot's adoptive mother. While the veteran and his cousin Yaz attempt to process their loss, Ginny's sister Odessa (Elliot's biological mother) bonds with other recovering addicts on the Narcotics Anonymous support chat room that she moderates.

The play is set in 2009 in two worlds: the “real world” of Philadelphia, San Diego, Japan and Puerto Rico and the “online world,” described as “an empty space, a space that connects.”

This Capital Classics cast is a strong one, wonderfully representing the races in the script. Eddie Cruz, Jr., who holds a BFA in Acting from the Hartt School and performed in “Quijote Nuevo” at Hartford Stage, masterfully plays the role of Elliot Ortiz, the wounded veteran who aspires to be a model.

Joselyn Eaddy Melendez, who played Hero in Capital Classic’s 2022 production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” shines in the role of Yazmin Ortiz, Elliot’s cousin.

Cin Martinez effectively portrays the role of Odessa Ortiz, whose screen name is Haikumom. Martinez is a member of the HartBeat Ensemble and has appeared in commercials and indie films and has appeared in Netflix’s “Orange Is The New Black.” This character has a challenging arc and the actress makes it look easy.

Amanda Kim Friedman is the only actor that I knew from community theater and she makes her Capital Classics debut in the role of Madeleine/Yoshiko, with a screen name of Orangutan. Friedman’s credits include “BUG,” “Dogfight,” “The Bottle,” and “Disaster.” This talented performer nails her strongly drawn character.

Joshua Eaddy, a graduate of Housatonic Community College who appeared in “Much Ado About Nothing", played “Chutes and Ladders,” whose real name is Clayton “Buddy” Wilkie. The character is a fifty-six-year-old African-American IRS employee in San Diego who is a recovering addict on the site,

Tim Diebolt takes on the role of John, who uses the screen name of Fountainhead. Diebolt is an actor and director from CCSU and last summer was associate director of “Macbeth” with Times Fool Theater Company.

Assef Badr is a Syrian student at WestConn where he appeared in “Big Love,” “Metamorphoses,” and “Password.” Here he plays Professor Aman, a ghost and a Japanese police officer. I look forward to seeing the performance of Badr as Jimbo in “Fairview” at his university next semester.

Vivianna Lam, a designer for several area schools and Seven Angels Theater (“Burning Desire,) has been costume designer for all the Capital Classics’ Shakespeare productions since 1996 and she has the chance to design far more contemporary costumes that work nicely. Rachel Landy did the sound design; the actors performed without mics and unfortunately I missed a handful of the lines.

The non-profit Capital Classics was founded to enrich the cultural environment of Greater Hartford through the theater arts. Since 1991, they have been committed to providing classical entertainment that is affordable, accessible and engaging. They serve the community with cultural and educational programming and provide job opportunities and training to CT’s professional theater artists.

The performance that I attended was wrapped in conversation led by Pablo Correa, PhD, an assistant professor of digital media and communications at the university and his most recent filmmaking project, “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America” won the International Documentary Association’s Best Feature Documentary Award. Dr. Correa pointed out some themes before the play began, checked in audience members during intermission and helped lead the discussion after the curtain call. This made the experience run three hours.

Capital Classics invites active military and veterans to attend this Pulitzer Prize-winning play and participate in the dialogue occurring pre- and post-show on the theme, 'From Adversity, We Advance." Present your military ID at the box office at the Hoffman Auditorium at University of Saint Joseph (1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford) to receive $14 tickets at the door. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm. More information: CapitalClassics.org

I look forward to the Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival 2023, when this group will present “Macbeth” July 13 through July 30 outdoors at the University of Saint Joseph.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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