Edie Falco returns to Penguin Rep as a mom with issues, at war and at home
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Edie Falco was about to give a play reading at Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point back in the mid-1990s when she had to cancel after locking up a part in HBO’s prison drama, “Oz.”
Since then, Brooklyn-born Falco has become one of America’s most acclaimed actresses. Her portrayals of Carmela Soprano, “Nurse Jackie” Peyton, Hillary Clinton and a slew of other TV and movie roles have earned her dozens of accolades and awards.
But at heart, “she’s truly a theater animal, and constantly returns to the stage,” said Penguin Rep’s Executive Director Andrew Horn.
And indeed, the 59-year-old SUNY Purchase graduate will be doing just that this weekend when she comes to Penguin for staged workshop readings of “Brat,”a new play by Jason Pizzarello directed by Bob Balaban.
A tragicomic two-person play, “Brat” explores the fraught relationship between Nora, a single mom played by Falco, and her son, Jake, played by Leonidas Ocampo, who’s mirroring her life more closely than she’d like — including deployments to the war in Afghanistan.
Falco couldn’t pass up the chance to take on Nora’s character, even in the midst of shooting a Peacock TV comedy where she’s starring as Pete Davidson’s mother.
“I actually originally said I was too busy but send it anyway, and it was sent to me and I read it and I thought, oh God, I gotta do this,”
Falco said recently in a message. “I don’t really ever know what it is specifically that makes me want to do a play. I know that when I’m reading it, I don’t want to put it down, it takes me right to the end. I find myself sort of smiling while I’m reading it.”
Penguin’s Artistic Director Joe Brancato knew Falco wouldn’t be able to resist the role.
“The character she has is a handful, to put it lightly, a very damaged person,” Brancato explained. “Edie makes damage look so inviting, so beautiful. That’s what I can say about Edie’s work: She always finds the extraordinary in the most ordinary person, and that’s a magical thing that a great actor does.”
Through his characters, Pizzarello, who served with the Army in Afghanistan, probes the mindset that comes with being a veteran in a deeply personal and revealing way, Brancato said.
The workshops, and the Q&As with Balaban and Pizzarello afterward, are “a union of the artist, the audience and the playwright to come to grips with what we have here and what could be with this property,” Brancato added.
Balaban, who has a long string of acting and directing credits, is on the Board of Advisors of the Orange County based Veterans Repertory Theater, which is co-producing the readings. He previously worked with Falco, directing episodes of Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie.”
“Brat” looks beyond the battlefield to the homefront, Horn pointed out.
“This is a story that transcends the specifics of our involvement with Afghanistan, and in some ways deals with universal issues about being a single mother, about following in a parent’s footsteps,” Horn said.
Penguin Rep, which is kicking off the 45th season in its circa-1880s converted barn, employs professional actors and designers for new, often groundbreaking productions. Over the years it has developed a dedicated, adventurous audience from throughout the region.
The co-production with VetRep exemplifies the company’s collaborative ventures aimed at attracting new theatergoers. Penguin and Phoenix Theater Ensemble are co-sponsoring a young playwrights competition for Rockland high school students.
“I think the reason we’re still here is that Penguin’s mission is still important,” Horn said of the nonprofit theater company. “What Penguin is devoted to is developing and presenting original works for the American stage, cultivating new voices and reaching new audiences. And certainly the upcoming reading is consistent with that.”
If you go
What: Workshop readings of “Brat” starring Edie Falco, directed by Bob Balaban, followed by a Q&A with Balaban and playwright Jason Pizzarello.
When: Friday, April 14 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m.
Where: 7 Crickettown Road, Stony Point
Tickets/information: Tickets are $30 ($25 for veterans). Visit penguinrep.org or call the box office at 845-786-2873.
Robert Brum is a freelance journalist who writes about the Hudson Valley. Contact him and read his work at robertbrum.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Edie Falco returns to Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point
