Strong performances, 
excellent staging work 
together for super show

LEWISTON — The current production of “What Rhymes with America” by The Public Theatre offers four compelling performances that ricochet from side-splitting comedy to heartbreaking anguish in the blink of an eye.

The play follows four characters who are struggling to get their lives on track despite the turmoil of their individual demons.
Kyle Knauf delivers an excellent performance as Hank, who is barely hanging together as he deals with a headstrong teenage daughter and his impending divorce. He desperately wants to save his marriage, but he’s also daring to plunge back into the dating pool.
Knauf appeared in TPT’s production of “The Cocktail Hour“ in October 2014.
Hank’s estranged daughter, Marlene, is portrayed with power and perception by Carolyn Faye Kramer, who’s making her debut on The Public Theatre stage. It’s an impressive Lewiston introduction to the talented young lady who was raised in the Boston area and has performed in numerous theatrical productions including “The Diary of Anne Frank” and on ABC-TV’s “The Family.” She’s a writer, visual artist, and black belt in kung fu, and she has performed around New York City with her musical and hip hop improvisation teams.
Kramer’s portrayal of the willful but painfully isolated teen is right on target. Her stubbornness extends to her insistence on talking to her father behind a closed door.
Lindsey Gates plays Lydia, an endearingly awkward middle-aged virgin and the object of Hank’s uncertain return to dating. Like the others, Lydia strives for normalcy in the face of her life’s disappointments, but she has consistently failed.
Gates has extensive theatre credits across the nation. This is her first TPT appearance.
Hank is supplementing his income as an “extra” at the Metropolitan Opera, and that’s where his friendship with Sheryl, an actress with ambitions beyond the background players in numerous operas, promises to lift him out his continuous state of despair.
Sheryl is delightfully played by Janet Mitchko, TPT’s co-artistic director and veteran director and actor throughout most of the theater’s 25 years in Lewiston. It’s a role that fits her perfectly as it bounces between comedy and pathos. Her appearances with Hank are at a stage-door of the Met where, in a couple of classic opera costumes, they console each other on their sorrowful circumstances.
The unusual staging of “What Rhymes with America” presents some rewarding surprises for audiences. The play’s wide variety of locations take place on revolving, multi-sided sets and split-stage scenes. This innovative stagecraft allows one scene to end as another is beginning. At times, the scenes interlock as dialogue overlaps.
Director Christopher Schario keeps the action fast-paced. The actors’ characterizations alternate with seamless fluidity from comic to sad.
Canadian-born playwright Melissa James Gibson is a writer for television’s popular “House of Cards.” She has been called “one of the most unique voices in theater today.”
This New England premier of this 2012 play by Gibson is supercharged with emotion that’s balanced with bittersweet humor. Each of the characters in “What Rhymes with America” is on a different path in his quest for normalcy. It’s the unique staging that provides both separation and unity in their stories.
The production crew deserves special commendation for several important contributions. The set design is by Amber Callahan, who is returning to TPT. She has worked as a technical director and set designer at numerous venues throughout New England.
The lighting design by Bart Garvey is also a key element in this production’s effectiveness.
Stage manager Lisa Bragdon and costume designer Jonna Klaiber also make important contributions.
“What Rhymes with America” is presented without an intermission.
A free pre-show wine-tasting hosted by Rails Restaurant will be held in the theatre lobby on Thursday, March 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Remaining performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, March 17 and 18; at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20. There is an added Saturday matinee at 3 p.m. on March 19.
For tickets go online to www.thepublictheatre.org or call the box office at 782-3200.
The Public Theatre is located at 31 Maple St., Lewiston.