Riverfront's 'Yankee Tavern' is a Who-Done-it on a Grand Scale

The Riverfront Playhouse's new show, Yankee Tavern, is a who-done-it taking place on two completely separate levels.

First, is the grand scale who-done-it about 9/11 and the myriad of theories about it. The play takes place in a bar in New York City in 2006. The four people in the bar seem to have no direct connection to the Twin Towers' collapse. Later we realize that they were all effected directly by it. Beneath the Sturm und Drang of the grand mystery, there are the mysteries and secrets in the lives of the characters.  

On both the grand scale and the personal, everyone has to decided what to believe. Do they believe what they see? Do they believe what they hear? Do they believe what they're told or do they believe their own eyes?

Yankee Tavern is a tight, four person show.  It is essential that each actor do their part in furthering the plot.  The cast of Yankee Tavern, containing two veteran Riverfront actors and two actors new to the Riverfront stage, are more than equal to the task.

Director Shawn Dooley said he enjoys casting new people.

“New actors deserve a chance and the Riverfront always benefits from new blood,” explains Dooley.

But using new people can be risky especially in a cast this small. In the case of Jessica Orr and Frank Warpeha that risk paid off. Orr plays Janet, a loving fiance with just a touch of 'bridezilla'. Janet experiences a number of emotional transitions bouncing between love, suspicion, worry, betrayal, and grief.  

Each transition flows smoothly into the next. The audience sympathizes and empathizes with her.  Warpeha plays Adam, her smooth talking fiance.  Adams 'boy next door' looks and charming manner reassure at one moment and hint at something sinister the next.  Warpeha's portrayal makes us like Adam even as his secrets are revealed.

Two Riverfront favorites complete the cast. Steve Rasmussen plays Ray, old family friend and the barfly crank. Ray goes on long rants about everything from 'the truth about 9/11' to the ghosts upstairs. Rasmussen's delivery of these long monologues keep the audience on the edge of their seats wondering what he is going to say next. Many of Ray's points seem to some sense; just enough to keep the audience wondering, “What if he's right?” Through all the ranting and cranking a loving friend and grieving husband comes through clearly.

Palmer is just that guy. He sits at the bar, drinks a beer and reads the paper. Nothing strange about him.  So it seems.  Every so often he throws a casual comment into the conversation, but mostly he's just a guy drinking a beer. Gary Puckett plays Palmer with a relaxed matter-of-factness. The laid-back nature of Puckett's early performance makes it that much more thrilling when Palmer's anger and grief explode later in the show.

Yankee Tavern is a break for Dooley who usually directs comedies.

“A friend showed me the script and I thought 'Wow, this is really interesting,'" he said.

Dooley's directing creates a nice balance between the grand drama of 9/11 and the more personal drama of the characters.  He leaves the audience with a delicious sense of wonderment.

Despite all the lingering questions about 9/11 that are voiced in the play, the show is not about 9/11 conspiracies. It's about the conspiracies that are played out in our own lives. The lives of ordinary people trying to navigate through complex relationships in a complex world.

Yankee Tavern runs until April 16 and is a must-see drama for anyone who was ever in a relationship that seemed more complicated than they could handle.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. The Riverfront Playhouse is located at 11-13 Water St. in downtown Aurora.