Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Fifty years ago I attended my first show at Trinity Repertory Company during Project Discovery, which was “Wilson in the Promised Land” by Ronald Van Zandt. That show was a world premiere of a play and eventually went on to be performed at the ANTA Theatre in New York. Fast forward 50 years to Trinity Repertory Company’s world premiere play “The Prince of Providence” written by George Brant and based on the book by Mike Stanton about Buddy Cianci and this reviewer thinks that “The Prince of Providence” is destined to become the King of Broadway. The show is the season opener and what a magnificent season opener it is. From sets to costumes to every one of the performers, this epic show is one not to be missed.
Buddy Cianci spent 21 years as Mayor of Providence and was first elected at the age of 32 in 1974. He was an anti-crime attorney vowing to fight corruption but ended up being enticed by the glamour of evil due to character flaws that could be ripped out of a Shakespearean tragedy, including jealousy, gluttony and greed. However every time he fell down the rabbit hole of corruption, Buddy picked himself out of the ashes to reinvent himself by creating the Renaissance of Providence, including endowments for Trinity Rep itself as well as saving The Providence Performing Arts Center from the wrecking ball. This high energy masterpiece entrances you from the opening song “Rhode Island is Famous For You” by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz to the closing surprise twisting ending that could have been worth the price of admission by itself. Obie Award winning Taibi Magar is the director, who supplies the high energy, keen insight and expert casting of the 14 performers – from guest artists to company members to the MFA students who all fit their roles perfectly. “The Prince of Providence” is a stunning, electrifying piece of theatre with strong and graphic language that has to be one of the top ten shows that I have ever seen or reviewed all these years. Hamlet tells Ophelia to get herself to a nunnery, but I am telling you to get yourself to this show before the already extended six week run is completely sold out. Bravo!
As the show opens in 1974, the biggest thing on young Buddy’s mind is whether he should run for attorney general. But then one of his best friends, Herb DeSimone, says he should run for mayor. This is when the first joke of the show occurs with the mispronunciation of Cranston. Herb tells Buddy, “No I mean you should run for the Mayor of Providence not for Mayor of Crans-ston.” The first act is when Buddy was first mayor from 1975 to 84 while the second act jumps ahead to 1990 when he ran for mayor once again. Buddy who was a Democrat changes over to become a Republican and takes on the Democratic machine run by Larry McGarry when he runs against Joe Doorley. It’s the age old struggle in Rhode Island between the Irish and Italian factions. Buddy takes his strong willed wife Sheila with him to campaign as well as their young daughter, Nicole. With the help of some wise guys, Buddy beats Doorley and brings a Republican presence into the mayor’s office.
New York actor Scott Aiello tackles the role of the larger than life Buddy Cianci and comes up a winner. He delivers a tour de force performance and is onstage almost the whole two hour and forty minute show. Buddy’s two closest friends, Herb DeSimone and Mickey Corrente who see him through thick and thin until the corruption trial in 2002 are excellently played by Charlie Thurston and Erick Betancourt. Scott’s many scenes include one with company member, Janice Duclos as Linda, the omnipresent secretary under Doorley who tells Buddy the former mayor never knew her name and left for the day at 11:30 AM to pop a few drinks. Another is with a young cop well played by Ian Kramer, a 3rd year Trinity Brown student, who drives his car with License Plate #1 and stocks the flask with J&B where Buddy tells him to stock it with Vodka because it doesn’t leave an odor when greeting constituents. Later on in the show Scott has a poignant one with his daughter, Nicole about her bad behavior while he’s on trial. Nicole’s portrayed by another student, Lindsey Steinert. One of Buddy’s funny statements include “The toes you step on yesterday, you have to kiss their ass tomorrow.” Cianci is described as Jekyll and Hyde at the Plunderdome Trial. Scott’s charisma in this huge role is outstanding and his interactions with the other 13 performers are brilliant as the others portray multiple roles.
Rebecca Gibel also shines in this show as the gorgeous but hard as nails, Sheila Cianci, who at the start of the show demands that Buddy marry her if he wants to get elected Mayor of Providence. She already put the engagement announcement in the Providence Journal with Buddy’s face on the front page announcing his candidacy. Sheila also lets him know she’s pregnant and he has to give up his broads. Rebecca’s outstanding scenes include the first one where she forces him to become engaged to her and one at the trial when she calls him Fats after she caught him in bed with one of his broads and threatens him with a revolver. Sheila demands half a million settlement from him because she had to stay with him till the end of his term. Sheila had a fling with Ray DeLeo and Buddy blows his top and attacks him at his home and tries to cover it up.
Mauro Hantman plays the sympathetic role of DeLeo as well as the stoolie Antonio Freitis who wore a wire for Plunderdome while other company members Brian McEleney plays Larry McGarry as well as defense trial lawyer, Richard Egbert, Stephen Berenson plays Doorley and City Council President Robert Haxton who gets blackballed by Buddy into doing his bidding, Joe Wilson Jr. plays Lloyd Griffin who stuffed absentee ballots as well as prosecuting lawyer, Richard Rose in the Plunderdome trial and Phyllis Kaye returns in triumph to Trinity to portray Ethel Merman at PPAC and as Channel 10 news reporter Cathy Ray. The woman in Buddy’s life in the second act, Wendy Materna is well played by Caitlin Duffy as she convinces him to sell Marinara Sauce to win the hearts of the people again in the 1990’s. Snack McManus, the right hand man of McGarry is well played by Nicholas Vicinanzo who with Caitlin is a Brown/Trinity Rep student. The outstanding costumes are by Amanda Downing Carney who also designed Buddy’s many toupee’s and designed a way to make them stay on with a secret method that should be patented. The fantastic city hall set is by Sara Brown. So for a world premiere that will captivate you from start to finish, be sure to catch “The Prince of Providence” at Trinity Rep before this most successful show in Trinity’s history completely sells out. Tell them Tony definitely sent you there before it heads to the Great White Way.
THE PRINCE OF PROVIDENCE (12 September to 27 October)
Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI
1(401)351-4242 or www.trinityrep.com
Trinity, I Thank God you did this, I pray I also will see the Prince Mayor I knew