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The Friar and the Nurse

nytheatre.com review by Sarah Congress
August 15, 2005

Set in Shakespearean times, the play opens with a very high-strung and upset Nurse attending confession. The Friar listens kindly, but seems to be more interested in the Nurse than the sins. About twelve years later they meet again, and a forbidden love between them blossoms, as they try to help the young lovers Romeo and Juliet escape. Amidst all the chaos happening outside, the Friar and the Nurse seem to be lost in a world of their own, built on the love and compassion that they share for each other.I liked how Laura Depta portrays the Nurse to be very talkative, yet with a strong streak of tenderness as well. Not only does Stan Peal play the Friar, but he also wrote the play, created the music composition, and did the set design. Peal plays the Friar to be rather low-key, but very kind and generous. I also thought that the director, Lon Bumgarner, staged the piece very fittingly and was very conscious of the period.Despite limited space, the set (designed by Peal and Lon Bumgarner) is very detailed, and magically transports us to an old, rustic church in Verona. The costumes (designed by Barbi Van Schaick) are very accurate to the time period as well as the characters’ classes.I really enjoyed seeing The Friar and The Nurse. For one hour I was laughing, crying, and worrying about the characters as if I had known them all my life. Peal and Depta have a rare and wonderful chemistry, which is perhaps what makes the play so realistic, and the characters so likeable. I felt that they were both very talented actors, and I loved seeing them on stage.I highly suggest that you see The Friar and The Nurse. It’s beautiful, there’s no other way to put it.