The Wood

John Viscardi is really a reporter who exposes police brutality against immigrant Vladimir Versailles. Melanie Charles may be the sufferers wife. A Rattlestick Playwrights Theater presentation of the play in 2 functions by Serta Klores. Directed by David Bar Katz. Justin Volpe - Michael Carlsen Micheline Louima - Melanie Charles Tommy - David Deblinger Alice McAlary - Kim Director Abner Louima - Vladimir Versailles Mike McAlary - John ViscardiDocumentary filmmaker Serta Klores brings a motion picture eye to "The Wood," his reverential bio-dram about Mike McAlary, the muckraking New york city newspaper writer who won a Pulitzer in 1998 for his sensational expose of police brutality against Haitian immigrant Abner Louima. Episodic and unfocused in the overlong first act, show pulls itself together in act two for many tough moments between Louima and McAlary, who does die of cancer at 41, one year afterwards he won his Pulitzer. The fabric has energy, however the whole structure from the piece needs overhauling to create a real impact. Two solid perfs from John Viscardi (as McAlary) and Vladimir Versailles (as Louima) and nice backup from Kim Director and Melanie Charles (his or her particular spouses) give ballast towards the jumpy production helmed by David Bar Katz. Viscardi nails both newspaper hunger that made McAlary this type of tenacious news hound which attitude of empathy and knowning that made people trust him using their greatest secrets. He's also winning when McAlary addresses the crowd straight to reveal a love for cutthroat journalism, a feeling of justice that made him a "super hero for that working class," as well as an ego how big a home. Versailles is most supportive within the hospital moments where a badly beaten Louima bares his humiliation and discomfort towards the reporter who does splash his story around the top of the page from the Daily News. Younger crowd determines great rapport with Charles, so touching as Louima's troubled wife. However it takes an unendurable period of time before Louima arrives from the shadows to concentrate McAlary's attention and point the play inside a dramatic direction. For now, Klores uses number of sketchy moments -- designed in no consistent style and carried out exactly the same way -- to complete McAlary's backstory and flesh the character of the driven guy, so competitive he would skip chemotherapy to chase lower a news tip. There might be a great play in here somewhere, but at this time it is a jumble of odds and ends awaiting the rewrite desk.Sets, John McDermott costumes, Kalere A. Payton lighting, Joel Moritz seem, Janie Bullard forecasts, Steve Channon production stage manager, Jamie Wolfe. Opened up Sept. 15, 2011. Examined Sept. 14. Running time: 2 Hrs, 10 MIN.With: Thomas Kopache and Sidney Williams Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com