STAGE REVIEW YSU's 'Side Man' shows life of jazz

Excellent performances came from each cast member as well as the band.
By GARRY L. CLARK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University's theater department joined with its Dana School of Music on Thursday evening to open its production of "Side Man" by Warren Leight.
The Tony-award winning play follows the private life of a jazz musician facing a crumbling career with the advent of rock 'n' roll. The story is set in 1953 proceeding through 1985 and is portrayed through the eyes of the musician's son, Clifford.
Story
That Clifford has arrived at adulthood with even a modicum of sanity is miraculous as the struggles of his parents, both with life and each other, whirl about him, constantly threatening to suck him into the vortex.
His father, Gene, has real talent, but lacks the ambition needed to rise to stardom as a jazz trumpeter. For all her pushing, Gene's wife, Terry, quickly becomes nothing short of an ill-tempered shrew, blaming Gene for everything that is wrong in her life, and attempting suicide in front of her then 10-year-old son.
Gene's fellow musicians race from gig to gig along with him, hitting the bars afterward, smoking dope and shooting up heroin. The only time any of them seems to be truly alive is when they play their music.
Alexi Stavrou did a superb job of bringing Clifford to life, narrating with a somewhat detached air, and then stepping into the action when it was warranted. Also turning in an excellent portrayal was Brent Whetstone as Gene, giving his character a wistful bewilderment of a man who truly doesn't understand the changing world around him, but never, ever, tries to stand up to any of it.
The part of Terry was brilliantly played by Noelle Nackino. Her character's myriad rantings against her lot in life were both fiery and poignant.
Rounding out the dramatic cast in fine form were Shaun Timothy Brown as Jonesy, Richard Bell as Al and Gary Shackleford as Ziggy, fellow band members, and Alecia Sarkis as Patsy, an oft-married club waitress and friend of them all.
Band
Behind the scenes was the dazzling YSU Jazz Combo consisting of Mark Gosiewski, Jason Clark, Randy Bibri and Kyle Farrell under the direction of Kent Engelhardt. Their performance added a perfect touch of nostalgia to the drama.
Dennis Henneman serves as director of this piece with Rachael Lewis as assistant director.
This play is liberally peppered with filthy language, far more than seems necessary to get the point across, and is thus extremely unsuitable for children.
clark@vindy.com