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Provincetown :: Friday, May 16th 2008
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Video by Michael DiGioia.
Ryan Landry Tackles Noir
The Milkman Always Comes Twice
By Kahrin Deines
July 3rd, 2007
Lust, murder, desperate plotting, grim psychology and of course, steamy scenes – all the elements of film noir at its best now have their play in Provincetown on Tuesday nights at The Crown and Anchor in Ryan Landry’s new play the “Milkman Always Comes Twice.” But, in the hands of Landry, the famously dark melodrama of the film noir of the 40s has been given a high-octane shot of humor that makes for a night of violent fun.
| “The Milkman Always Comes Twice” shows at The Crown and Anchor on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. until September 4. |
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Based on the novels of James M. Cain, who wrote the classic crime tales “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Double Indemnity,” both of which were made into multiple movies, Landry’s new play is a saucy thriller that brings a superb cast to the stage.
Penny Champagne and Chris Loftus star as the scheming lovers Maxine Tagliatelli and Colt Horscock, who follow the mad guide of lust into deceit and death-dealing, even with each other. Penny Champagne is truly spectacular as the femme fatale Maxine, who manipulates Colt into the murder of her dimwit of a husband Tony, and dominates the stage with seductive hysterics and true cruelty. Meanwhile, Loftus, who starred as Champagne’s love partner in the earlier Gold Dust Orphan play “Pussy on the House” as well, does a superb job as the handsome dupe.
Also starring in the production are the Gold Dust Orphans Larry Coen, Olive Another, Billy Hough, Joshua Pritchard and, of course, Landry, as the hilariously addled mother of Tony Tagliatelli, along with a very cute and brave dog.
Set in an Italian restaurant in Boston’s north end, the story is carried out by the cast with a kind of concentrated cartoon-ish exaggeration that lovingly mocks the typically somber tone of the genre. Olive Another loses an arm in a pitchfork accident. Justice is determined by a twisted people’s court, with a new special guest performer each week as judge. (Dina Martina was an excellent adjudicator the week that I saw the play, standing out as a perfect character to administer a senseless kind of justice.) And the story’s passage is marked by news updates from a hapless newsboy played by Debbie Downer.
As it runs from the bedroom to the bathroom, the humor is consistently clever, which makes the ending, a true cherry of over the top comic play, come fast. It’s a Landry romp as usual, but there’s a smaller cast and simpler sets than in his last two productions, putting the focus on the acting and the writing, which are hardboiled good.
“The Milkman Always Comes Twice” shows at The Crown and Anchor on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. until September 4. The Crown is located at 247 Commercial Street.
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