Wilton Manors’ premiere LGBTQ theatre company, Island City Stage, has another hit on its hands.
Everything Beautiful Happens at Night, by Ted Malawer, is the story Ezra, author of a beloved children’s book series. Set in mid-1980s New York, Ezra is also semi-closeted and facing writer's block, until he picks up a much younger man at a gay bar who becomes his muse. It is not mentioned in the program, but playwright Malawer has previously stated that the play was inspired by the life of Arnold Lobel (Ezra in the play), his editor, Ursula Nordstrom (Nancy), and his lover, Howard Weiner (Jake), and Lobel’s Frog & Toad stories (transformed in the play to Chipmunk & Squirrel). It is, in fact, almost a biography.
As Ezra falls in love with Jake, he decides to make it clear that the two friends, Chipmunk and Squirrel, are in love, which his editor, Nancy, refuses to print. Ezra is unable to find another publisher and dies suddenly of AIDS related causes (as so many of our people did back then), just as his editor is accepting a Caldecott Award (the highest honor for children’s book illustration) on his behalf.
The play is a fascinating character study, and director Bruce Linser has assembled a talented cast. Laura Turnbull, no stranger to South Florida audiences, proves why she is so often cast. Her portrayal of Nancy is letter-perfect. She captures the brittle no-bullshit attitude, but we always sense the tender person behind the armor. Her last look at the audience, as she accepts Ezra’s award, is a master class in how to act without saying a word. We see every bit of pride and regret in her eyes. Christopher Dreason, as Ezra, portrays the fastidious, buttoned-up man and lets us see him melt, bit by bit, into Jake’s love, gaining strength to oppose Nancy. Aidan Paul’s portrayal of Jake could have just been the pretty boy on stage in his underwear, and he is that, but so much more. We actually see him falling in love with Ezra and reclaiming some of his own humanity through that love.
There’s a fourth star on the stage, the wonderful illustrations from Ezra’s book, brought to life by illustrator Bong Edita, projected on a giant screen that converts from the set’s apartment window to a giant picture book. His illustrations evoke the children’s books we all read growing up, yet remain fresh and heartwarming. Ardean Landhuis, again, makes the best use of Island City’s stage, managing to fit in a gorgeous and cozy living room, a café, and a convention space, without anything looking like it’s cramped, ably helped by Landhuis’ use of lighting. Lisner does a masterful job of directing this talented cast, but does slip up a few times. Ezra is seen walking around his apartment in shoes, just minutes after he’s made a big deal about not allowing anyone to wear shoes in his house. Helen does, but I assumed that Ezra was too intimidated by her to make the request.
Later on, he has Ezra typing a few words and then pulling the paper out of the typewriter, balling them up, and throwing them on the floor. It’s a tired cliché to show writer’s block, and something fastidious Ezra would never do. Those are but minor quibbles in a show that is near perfection.
BTW: Howard Weiner (Jake in the play) lived until 2015 and opened the Howard’s End guesthouse in Provincetown.
Everything Beautiful Happens at Night
Island City Stage
2304 N. Dixie Hwy., Wilton Manors
IslandCityStage.org
Through April 26
