Theater Review: The One Good Thing, or "Are Ya Patrick Swayze?" at Seven Angels Theatre

The One Good Thing, or “Are Ya Patrick Swayze?" is a play written by Joseph Bravaco. Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury is the first New England theater to present this new work with the unwieldy but telling title. This “work of Irish wit, emotional depth and haunting intimacy” is beautifully directed by one of Connecticut's leading directors, Sasha Brätt.

Dr. Bratt’s directorial credits at Seven Angels include “The Wedding Binder,” “Love and Spumoni,” and “First Date.” He currently is the Professor of Theater and Theater Program Coordinator to the lucky students at CT State Naugatuck Valley in Waterbury.

The Seven Angels production team is very excited to bring this new work to their stage and welcomed the playwright to the opening night performance. The piece made its debut in the United Kingdom.

The Seven Angels website offers a description of the play.

“The One Good Thing or “Are Ya Patrick Swayze?” takes place in a small cottage perched above the Irish Sea. Brothers Jamie and Tommy live side by side, bound by routine, memory, and a lifetime of unspoken truths. But one morning, after a relentless night of wind and rain, Jamie makes a startling revelation – one that shakes the foundation of their relationship and casts their shared past in a strange new light.

The play is a darkly funny and deeply moving exploration of brotherhood, grief, and the invisible forces that haunt us. With humor, pathos, and a touch of the supernatural, it asks what we carry, what we bury, and what, if anything, we’re brave enough to leave behind.

The first character to enter the stage is Tom, the younger of the two brothers. Tom is married to Josie and is the more conservative of the siblings. This brother is played by John R. Howley, an actor and Irish-language advocate who is best known for his role in “Bleeding,” a Cineverse feature. He will next be seen as the leading man of the upcoming television series “Perfect Sundays.”

There is the unique premise of the “almost dead” character. Jamie is the elder brother, a gay man who works as a teacher. The character is brought to life by Equity actor Nick Roesler, working at Seven Angels for the first time. Roesler played Duke Senior in “As You Like It” with Valley Shakespeare, Karl/Steve in “Claybourne Park” at Music Theatre of Connecticut (Connecticut Critics Circle nominee for Best Featured Actor) and Falstaff in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” with Capital Classics. He also is an Assistant Professor of Performance at CCSU.

The technical aspects of the production work well, especially when bringing a thunderstorm to the stage or a character to Heaven. The set and costumes bring the audience to the present day in Enniskillen, Ireland. WAMS graduate John Rush makes his production manager debut and Trinity College senior Savannah Brooks serves as the assistant director. Rahkas Colite works as production stage manager in her first Seven Angels show.

Charles O’Connor is credited with the often haunting lighting design (as well as a set builder) and Constantine Pappas worked as the sound designer and set builder. Properties are the work of Christine Simone, who also makes her debut as the assistant stage manager.

The play received its U.S. premiere at the Washington (D.C.) Stage Guild in 2025, and Westport Country Playhouse also presented it as part of its Script in Hand series in September of last year. The script contains some foul language, which seems less offensive when spoken with an Irish lilt. The brothers’ interactions are darkly funny and surprisingly emotional. I missed a few of the details of the story that really did not matter.

The play, presented with one 15-minute intermission, runs through March 22 at Seven Angels in Hamilton Park in Waterbury. You can get your $20 tickets at SevenAngelsTheatre.org

The next mainstage production at Seven Angels will be “Rogers & Hammerstein’s A Grand Night for Singing,” scheduled for Apr. 24 - May 10. Artistic Director Pappas shared that 250 performers came out to the auditions for this show.

Check out the reviewer's new website In the Wings 2.0 .