FringeNYC 2013: Double Fault
POINT: Adriana Zarro, a teen tennis phenom, is poised for a comeback. SET: She's a recovering drug addict with an overbearing mother of a coach. MATCH: As the biggest game of her life looms, Adriana must choose sports glory or freedom.
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Ron Cohen · August 9, 2013
Adrianna Zorro, the heroine of Double Fault, has more than just a couple of big problems. She’s a former tennis champion who became addicted to drugs. She lives under the oppressive control of her mother, Connie, who also happens to be her coach and is unrelenting in screaming “forehand” during training sessions. Connie is also passionate in her belief that having “an American champion” for a daughter has removed the onus of being a poor immigrant from Cuba. Adrianna also feels deeply the past absences of her divorced father, who was not there when she needed him. And most of all, she is weighed down by a sense of guilt: while drugged out, she sat by a swimming pool and watched a young boy droawn without being able to help him.
Now, Adrianna has drawn a wild card in the U.S. Open and her chance for a big comeback lies before her? But will she take it? Can she stand up to questions from the press and the nasty remarks being made about her by Hope, the sleek blonde tennis goddess and tournament favorite? Does she even want to win?
All these questions, however, failed to involve me, as I watched Troy Diana’s somewhat mechanically written drama unfold. The author seemed to have weighed the odds too heavily against his heroine, and, as written by Diana and portrayed y Heidi Azaro, the character of Adrianna gives us little to root for. At one point, a man who is romantically interested in her tells her that she has to shake off her feelings of guilt if she is to become “the amazing person you could be.“ But little or nothing of that “amazing person” is ever revealed. Rather, Azaro is a bedraggled, defeated persona, who most of the time is angry when she isn’t morose. It’s hard to feel sorry for someone who feels so sorry for herself.
Susanna Guzmán imbues Connie with some welcome Latino vivacity as well as an interesting touch of darkness, and Isabel Richardson is fun to watch as the determined and snotty Hope. As a man whose interest in Adrianna is double-edged, Nicholas Delaney has an appealing easy manner, although as Adrianna’s father, George Pappas’ ever-smiling compassion strains credulity.
Directing his own script, Diana has not helped much to overcome its weaknesses. The play is made up of a series of short scenes, and while he does build suspense in the play’s penultimate scene -- the tennis match between Adrianna and Hope -- he generally dissipates whatever tension has been created in a scene by having the actors spend considerable time in the dark rearranging set pieces for the next scene.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from Double Fault
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
All About My Show · Troy Diana (Writer)
- Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
involves the world of tennis. The challenge of writing a play in which a character actually has to play tennis is finding innovative ways to make it theatrical. I am hoping we have found a way that will excite audiences. - What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
A major theme of the play is self forgiveness. Can we get out of our own way long enough in order to make a comeback-a lot like Serena Williams' game which is riddled with unforced errors, but she is able, most of the time, to over come them to win the match. - Why did you want to write this show?
I thought the world of women's tennis has been filled with a lot of interesting stories in the past few decades. I wanted to create something that reflected various player's struggles and triumphs, and Double Fault is the result. - Who are some of the people who helped you create this show, and what were their important contributions to the finished product?
The piece was work shopped via a class at ESPA- Primary Stages in 2010 with Rogelio Martinez and my peers. It was then work shopped this past year with the New York Actors School Professional Ensemble. - Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
Lady Macbeth for sure! She knows about those guilt issues! (grant it, it doesn't come until later in the play for her-she got it!)
The Five W's · Heidi (Actor)
- Who are your heroes?
My heroes are anyone who overcomes adversity really. Whether it be genetic, personal or influential - to see someone conquer and defeat it to be stronger, wiser, and happier really inspires and encourages me to grow, and to keep on growing. - What do you like most about the character you are playing in this show?
I love that although Adriana was a champion tennis star, her struggles to make a comeback are so relatable. The pressures to succeed, be a role model, fear of failure, and family conflict is something everyone deals with in one way or another. She deals with it in the spotlight of the media which is another added element of fear I find interesting to explore as I'm a very private person. - Where did you get your training in theater?
I took many different workshops and trained with various teachers throughout the years as I wanted to learn as much as I could about acting. I've performed on many stages, large and small. But I also dance and work in film both on camera and behind the scenes which trains me for different audiences. Heck, life is my training that teaches me how to live! The same is true for my character Adriana. - When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why?
As a child I performed for my family behind close doors but I was extremely self conscious and very shy and quiet in school. My first dance recital at 10 years old though, I knew I wanted to be on stage. It was the first time I felt free and comfortable in my own skin. The problem was knowing who I was when I wasn't on stage, but that's a whole other story... - Why are theater festivals important?
Theater festivals are so important as they're a platform for a host of diverse perspectives of creative, intimate & entertaining experiences that might otherwise get lost in the shadow of larger productions. It's a niche-fest. There's something for everyone.
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