Petronio’s perfect portrayal of Disney carries Wilbury play

Don Fowler
Posted 11/12/14

Wilbury Theatre has a reputation for presenting provocative, off-beat plays. Lucas Hnath’s “A Public Reading of an Unpublished Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney” fits that category to a …

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Petronio’s perfect portrayal of Disney carries Wilbury play

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Wilbury Theatre has a reputation for presenting provocative, off-beat plays. Lucas Hnath’s “A Public Reading of an Unpublished Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney” fits that category to a tee.

The quirky, sometimes uneven presentation of the final days of the egotistical, ruthless, cold entrepreneur is presented in a unique style, as Walt and Roy Disney sit around a table reviewing and editing Walt’s screenplay.

Director Brien Lang has made the play come alive with a few props and dozens of pieces of memorabilia posted on the wall.

Hnath’s dialogue is sharp, curt and to the point, with perhaps too many “cut to’s,” a technique used frequently to move the script forward and sometimes cut off Roy’s feelings toward his domineering brother.

We get to see the dark side of one of the most recognizable men in the entertainment world. Walt Disney is a harsh, thankless, contemptuous, pill popping, vodka drinking, chain smoking, controlling egomaniac. He fears that his death will prevent him from fulfilling his dream of creating the ideal city, so he plans to have his head cryogenically preserved so that he can return some day to fulfill his dreams.

The play moves swiftly for 85 minutes with no intermission to break up its intensity.

The “Public Reading…” begins cleverly with Roy (Tom Chace), Walt’s daughter (Andrea Carlin) and son-in-law Josh Miller) sitting around the table waiting for Walt, who first appears on a TV screen spouting the customary patter about fire exits, cell phones and the like. Listen carefully as a number of Disneyisms are weaved into the presentation.

Walt appears and immediately takes charge, flipping through the script, putting brother Roy in his place, showing his contempt for his workers, his dumb son-in-law and his board of directors. (He wants to build a city in Florida, not a theme park). His biggest problem is that his daughter won’t name one of her sons after him, a true blow to his ego. But she has her reasons.

Walt rants, rages and reflects throughout the production, spitting up blood and hiding it from everyone but Roy. He’s a namedropping, vicious, troubled man, subject to uncontrollable outbursts and lack of passion.

He is Walt Disney, by God! And he often acts as if he were God.

This quirky play succeeds for one important reason: the perfect, passionate portrayal of Walt Disney by the talented Vince Petronio.

We’ve followed the URI’s assistant professor of communications studies theatre career over the years and applauded his work at 2nd Story Theatre, Gamm, Burbage, Mixed Magic and URI.

Petronio’s portrayal of Walt Disney is by far his shining moment. His intonations, his asides, his outbursts, his body language all come together to showcase his amazing talent.

And, oh yes, he even looks like Disney, especially with that carefully trimmed mustache.

Shakespeare wrote that “The play’s the thing,” but in this case, the performance is the thing that makes Wilbury’s latest production a “must see.” That statement is in no way meant to minimize the performances of the other three actors. Tom Chace is brilliant as Roy. His reactions to his brother’s treatment of him are priceless, especially at a moment late in the play when he is being replaced.

Andrews and Carlin spend most of the play sitting in the background, but when called upon their performances enhance the action, playing perfectly off of Petronio.

“A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney” is at Wilbury Theatre, 393 Broad St., Providence, through Nov. 22. For reservations, call 400-7100, or go online at www.thewilburygroup.org.

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