Ooh la la! That’s-a-spicy-meatball-a! There should be a Russian phrase like the French or Italian phrases to describe this spicy little number. But all the spiciness and hilarious characters give way to this highly complex, well- developed World Premiere at Lancaster’s Fulton Theatre. This entertaining spicy little number has everything-comedy, drama, parody, controversy, family values, well developed memorable characters intertwined inside the family business, the mob, love triangle after love triangle, the battle of good and evil (Michael and Porfiry), disappointment, illness, and the cycles of death and birth. Michael Archangel is the perfect meld of complex characters and actors willing to allow these complexities to artfully develop as real life unexpected events and chaos mirror what really happens to our own lives when an event upends our family. What happens when to the family dynamics when one of our family leaders is no longer able to perform his or her duties? Who steps up? Who shy’s away or perhaps goes into hiding? Who nurtures? Who becomes the major influence on family decision making? The transformation of people due to an event like a major illness, death, or a vanishing of a family member is something we all need to endure at least once in all of our lifetimes. So despite all the hilarity of the Russian mob families in the first act we become mentally connected to the characters during the drama of the second act as we witness the characters’ transformations. This little Fulton Theatre feature is a thoroughly entertaining comedy-drama that is very thought provoking and it reminded me very much of the hit HBO series the Sopranos. The Sopranos and Michael Archangel both successfully feature mob families with great story writing, in depth complexities, colorful characters that were delightful to watch, and great acting.
The Voynitsev’s and the Glagolyev’s know how to throw a party. It is hysterical to watch these Russian families in America throw a Fourth of July party loudly playing Russian pop music, playing chess, and throwing down endless shots of vodka at this gorgeous and very American compound on Long Island beach. We see fake Americanized outfits, hear fake Russian accents, see fake interest in a person of the opposite sex, see fake married flamboyant man hiding his questionable sexuality behind an incredibly sexy wife, and more and more fakeness. We see so many love triangles that you want to say STOP. We see so many secret passions that have been suppressed for years and years. Then we meet Michael, the epitome of the perfect teacher who has this deep desire to be connected to something that is for the greater good of mankind but is unable to find it. All the women flock to Michael lusting for a deep and lifelong connection and seem repulsed by Porfiry who says things like “Man must bully, woman must lie. Rule of nature."
In the end I was very disappointed by the character Michael. At first I disappointed by how the play ended because Michael as a character was not the expected superman to all. But after some thought I realized that Michael’s shortcomings is one of the pivotal lessons of the play. When everything is said and done, it is the person who is really and truly there for you that is the most important thing in life.
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