I still remember the headlines in 1947 about the reclusive Collyer Brothers whose apartment was so full of papers and junk, it took sixteen days to find the body of one of them buried under the debris. Richard Greenberg has imagined their neurotic, and eventually psychotic, life from 1905, when the reclusion begins, to their death in `46 in his engrossing play, The Dazzle. Peter Frechette and Reg Rogers as the brothers have each created character idiosyncrasies that make the ordinary fascinating. What could be mundane is turned into witty, almost Wildesque, banter in the hands of these two skilled actors and the lovely Francie Swift as the sole intrusion into their lives.
Greenberg's imagination and sense of humor set the play in motion, exposing the peculiar relationship between the brothers, and although it extends long on the downhill turns in the end phase, as they deteriorate, The Dazzle remains riveting. It's really good theater by fine actors in just the right costumes by Gregory A. Gale, played on an amazing set by Allen Moyer with proper lighting by Jeff Croiter, all tied together by the sure hand of director David Warren.
