By Catherine Jozwik
Milwaukee-based Boulevard Theater’s production “The Best Brothers,” written by Canadian LGBTQI playwright Daniel MacIvor and directed by Boulevard founder and artistic director Mark Bucher, seamlessly blended domestic comedy with pathos and a keen understanding of grief and family dynamics. With its themes of tolerance, acceptance and gratitude, the play was particularly appropriate for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Boulevard held two free enhanced readings of “The Best Brothers” at different locations Saturday. This reviewer attended the 1pm performance at the back room of Bay View establishment The Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave. The intimate venue, which held around 30, was packed, and the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, laughing frequently and loudly.
The production was minimal, with a cast of three (including narrator Carole Herbstreit Kalinyen), no sets, and several props. But, as an audience member pointed out after the show, Kalinyen’s effective narrating of the stage directions allowed viewers to visualize the sets and to focus on the reading’s wonderful dialogue and monologues.
Kyle Conner and Matt Specht were fantastic as openly gay and optimistic brother Kyle Best and disapproving, straight-laced heterosexual brother Hamilton Best, respectively. Connor brought a warm and endearing enthusiasm and comedic energy to his role, and Specht portrayed the perfect mix of sternness and vulnerability. Donning red gloves, both actors delivered engaging monologues as Bunny Best, the Best brothers’ beloved mother who has recently died as the result of a bizarre parade accident.
The enhanced reading takes the audience through the beginning stages of the brothers’ grief process, and how they deal with practical matters after their mother’s death, such as the funeral and wake, responding to condolences cards, and the will and estate.
Enzo, Bunny’s cherished and ill-behaved Italian greyhound, wasn’t a physical member of the cast, but he is referred to so frequently in the production that he may as well be. From the descriptions of the hound chewing up Hamilton’s pricey kitchen cabinets to Bunny’s hilariously poignant recollection of how Enzo came into her life, the audience can almost feel the pup’s cold wet nose against their cheeks. During the final scene of the play, which takes place at a dog park, Kyle Best holds a pink leash in his hand as the brothers watch the canine romp around.
“The Best Brothers” is proof that a winning script and exceptional acting beat out flashy, expensive scenery, costumes and visual effects—every time.