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A Night at the Raconteur - The Raconteur Book Store, Metuchen, NJ - January 6, 2012


Cramped, Cool, Eclectic, and Energetic, Robert Hedges and a Crack Cast of Characters Take Us Back to the 1930’s When Radio Was King, And the Marx Brothers Were a Comedic Force to Be Reckoned With!

By Phil Rainone

Featuring Robert Hegyes As Chico, Ron MacCloskey as Groucho, Francesca Tedeschi as The Receptionist, Alex Dawson as the Landlord, and Michael Jarmus as the announcer

The Raconteur Book Store has been presenting plays, readings, and even musical performances for many years but sadly the store recently announced it would be closing at the end of this month. For the store’s presentation of “Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel,” this was my first visit, and being an avid Marx Brothers fan, I was happily surprised at the top-notch acting, audience participation (about 35 people), and the over-all TLC with which the show was presented.

For a ten dollar donation, we got an old-time radio show that, by the time the second set rolled around, if you closed your eyes, it would almost feel like Groucho and Chico were there, bantering back and forth trying to one-up each other in one of their classic movies. Robert Hegyes played Chico, while Ron MacCloskey starred as Groucho (he came dressed for the part in classic Groucho gear, including cigar, grease paint mustache and eyebrows, and a battered suit and tie.) By the second act (they used old-time commercials - like an ad for Muriel Cigars – to segue to the next scene), Groucho and Chico were going toe-to-toe with their zany routines, reading rapid fire one-liners with maximum mojo! You could almost see The Marx Brothers smiling from above.



Reading from scripts, but with the zeal and zest of motion picture actors, they entertained the eyes as well as the ears with ease. Groucho; “How much do you charge to play?” Chico; “Ten dollars.” Groucho: “How much do you charge not to play?” Chico: “You couldn’t afford me!” They had the small but powerful audience in stitches, laughing and clapping like they were 1000 strong!

Back in the day, radio shows were presented in front of live audiences. You really had to be on your toes - one slip or blown line, and they would ride you ‘till your face was red!

Using an old-style microphone and stand, each actor stepped up to the mic either solo or as a group, each bringing characters from the long, bygone age of radio to life with reverence and nostalgia, but never dull or boring. There were even timely sound effects and songs dotted throughout the show. One of the best songs was sung by Francesca Tedeschi. She has the unique vocals of someone like Patti Scalia, and the moxie to go with it. Groucho sang “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” with the funny, hint-and-wink sexual cadence of the original. This was way more than I had expected, and each actor rose to the occasion time and time again.




The radio play was chock-full of the Marx Brothers’ hilarious one-liners, and the play also conveyed the Marx Brothers’ snarky attitude toward people of the upper class and those of authority - always making fun of them and their “Money can buy you anything/Authority is always right way of life.”
And if you’re looking for a musical connection, when The Beatles did A Hard Day’s Night, they made sure to hire Richard Lester to direct the movie. Lester was the genius (along with the Marx Brothers) who directed a good chunk of The Marx Brothers movies. Sweet!

The Raconteur Book Store will be closing in a couple of weeks, so stop in and get some great buys while you can. But the shows will be presented at another venue in the near future. Get on their mailing list to find out where and when. For more info, visit www.raconteurnj.com



 


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