The cast of THE BROKEN HOLLOW BANSHEE at Old Academy Players in East Falls
By Ellen Wilson Dilks
Old Academy Players in Philly’s East Falls neighborhood continues their current season with the World Premiere of a new thriller by Rob Rosiello—THE BROKEN HOLLOW BANSHEE. Performances continue weekends through November 19th at the theatre’s venue on Indian Queen Lane.
The year is 1955 and Ivy Pembroke’s mother has just passed away. Ivy learns that she has inherited an estate a fair portion of the town of Broken Hollow. She and her friend Gladys Crenshaw set out from New York to see what this estate is like. And that’s when things start getting spooky.
The piece, set primarily in a fictitious southwestern PA town, started as a radio play during the COVID lockdown. A small group of actors (two of which are now in this stage adaptation) were able to remotely air a 4-part broadcast by RS Productions in October of 2021.A special Halloween radio event was presented in that same month by the College of New Jersey station, WTSR.
Rosiello has undertaken to direct his own work for this initial production. I often have misgivings about that because the author may be too close to the work and not see where things could be tightened up a bit. On a whole, Rosiello avoids most of the pitfalls, but there could be some judicious editing. And tighter scene changes would not be amiss either. He does, however, create some wonderful stage pictures that thrill and chill the viewer. Technically, things are pretty solid. T. Mark Cole has created an eerie set that nicely adapts to the various locations in the story, while Steve Hnatko and Mr. Rosiello provide appropriately ghostly lighting. A mix of 50s era country music gets one in a rural mind frame prior to curtain, and then Jim McIntosh’s highly evocative original music really adds to the mood. Lynne Anne Donchez is credited as the “Period Hat Consultant (Great job), but no other costumer(s) are listed. Everyone looks appropriately 1950s.
The cast of THE BROKEN HOLLOW BANSHEE = Standing: Tim Andersson, Stephanie Rogers and Joshua Tull. Seated: Sandra Hartman, Nyiema Lunsford and Jessi Russell
Jessi Russell is terrific as Carrie Belle Pembroke, an ancestor of Ivy’s. She portrays the character’s vulnerability and fears so beautifully. Another ancestor (Carrie Belle’s mother-in-law), now a nun known as Sister Mary Lucretia, tells Ivy quite a bit of surprising things about her family when Ivy and Gladys visit the convent over the mountain from Broken Hollow. Tim Andersson’s Darius Benn, the estate’s caretaker, is part charming Irishman and part creepy lurker. His is a nicely calibrated performance. Carrie Belle’s husband, Silas Pembroke, is well played by Joshua Tull, who also doubles as the officious attorney who tells Ivy about her inheritance. Gladys Crenshaw is the comic relief in the play, and Stephanie Rogers knows her way around a one-liner. But, to me, she had a tendency to mug too often. The phrase “Less is More” is always good to remember. Nyiema Lunsford does a fabulous job as the heroine of the piece. She is sweet, but determined, and bravely tackles whatever the estate and its ghosts throw at her.
Rosiello wanted to create a thriller for the stage, as opposed to a mystery. And THE BROKEN HOLLOW BANSHEE is a psychologically chilling piece of theatre. It slowly unravels the secrets of the Pembroke family—and the banshee they believe has cursed them for generations. It should be noted that in Irish folklore, a banshee (or in Gaelic–ben sídhe [literally “woman of fairyland”] was a most unwelcome “guest.” Should a family see her combing her hair or hear her wailing beneath a window, it was believed to be a sign that a family member was about to die. English speakers morphed the Gaelic word into banshee—a term we now mostly associate with the earsplitting wail described by those who claimed to believe in them.
The matinee audience was having a great time, so go get your goosebumps on at Old Academy Players.
WHEN YOU GO: THE BROKEN HOLLOW BANSHEE runs weekends as follows: Fridays (11/10 & 17) and Saturdays (11/11 & 12) at 8pm; there are also 2pm matinees on 11/12 & 19. The performance has a running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, with intermission. It is recommended for all ages. Old Academy Players is located at 3544 Indian Queen Lane in the East Falls section of Philadelphia, PA (19129). Tickets can be purchased on line at www.oldacademyplayers.org or by calling the Box Office at 215–843-1109. There is off-street parking behind the theatre, and there is limited handicapped seating. Call the box office to arrange getting your special needs cared for. There are a few eateries within walking distance, as well as several others on nearby Midvale and Ridge Avenues. I can personally recommend The Black Squirrel on Midvale.
COVID Protocols: Old Academy is following the current recommendations of the CDC, and masks are not required at this time.