It's a four-letter word with five letters. We don't want to talk about it. We are afraid of it, but we can't avoid it. I've witnessed it twice. One from afar (as does Burkie's Jess) and once very close-up and personal (as does Jon). The word—dying.
Why would anybody want to see a play about dying? Possibly to understand the process of watching it happen? To prepare ourselves for the inevitable? And, in the case of OnStage Playhouse's Burkie, to experience excellence in theater.
Ed "Burkie" Burke (Duane Leake) is a semi-retired South Philadelphia plumber dying of the ravages of cancer. It's the fall of 1985. Burkie has lived a good life by his standards. He is a mixed bag of humor, prejudices, hurt and conflict, and. Leake's performance is masterful. We can see his physical pain, though he seldom mentions it. He has witnessed his wife's pain from cancer and chemo and wants no part of it. He spaces out with dementia, erasing years from his memory.
Jon (Hans Gieseker), Burkie's son, is a frustrated musician and underachiever who witnesses, daily, his father's failing. Jon went through the same experience when his mother passed, so he now drinks too much and hides his pain behind a can of beer and heightened emotions. Gieseker lets those emotions flow with his body language and facial expressions.
Jess (Lucinda Moaney), Burkie's daughter, who lives in Phoenix, is a take-charge businesswoman, the high achiever in the family, dating back to her athleticism in her school years. Moaney does a nice job of handling an unsympathetic character.
Jess doesn't listen to Jon, creating tensions that need not have existed but makes for good play-writing. Gieseker and Moaney handle the inevitable conflict between siblings dramatically. Their non-communication is monumental.
Family friend, Dom (Doug Frank), a retired bar and deli owner, has his own idiosyncratic behavior. He is a true friend as well as warm, humorous relief. We wish we'd see more of him.
Director Jeff Gastauer, who also designed the set for Burkie, brings to the OnStage stage a nicely contrasting cast. Gastauer's set extends almost to the lobby door of the theater and includes the Burke home (living room, dinning room, kitchen, front hall, stairs to the second floor, and back porch) as well as the neighborhood bar. Quite an achievement. However, it would not be possible without Brent Stringfield's set decor and the artistry of Rosemary King, and great construction team, including props by Brenda Leake and LaBeth Thompson. Daniel Zisko's lighting design is also excellent, with Tom Crenshaw's sound complementing the production.
Burkie is serious theater at its best, one that affords you a few laughs, tugs at your emotions, brings a tear, and gives you a chance to see some damned good acting.
