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Tale of woe spills forth
A theater critic lets his ego and love of the drink lead him to disaster in this one-man show starring Jack Belt, veteran member of TheatreUSF.
By AMY ABBOTT
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 21, 2000
Bounding from Dublin to London and into the ranks of a band of vampires, the drunken narrator of St. Nicholas: Women, Whiskey and Vampires? spills his tale of abandonment, a beautiful woman and bittersweet whiskey all from a wooden chair.
No, this isn't a bar stool at some Irish pub. It's the Off-Center Theatre and the man is Jack Belt, veteran member of TheatreUSF. He's the driving force in this one-man show playing at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Off-Center stage.
Conor McPherson, a native of Dublin and winner of multiple Olivier awards, created the protagonist as a drunken, jaded Irish theater critic whose ego and love of the drink ultimately lead his family to leave him. The critic refuses to see he has hit rock-bottom and focuses his attention on a beautiful young actor staring in a revival of Oscar Wilde's Salome.
He begins to stalk her and eventually navigates his way through his alcoholic haze to wind up in London where he befriends a vampire named William. In a twist of fate, he becomes the bloodsucker's henchman who must lure young women to parties for vampires to drain.
A wooden chair is the set's only adornment. The play comes to life solely through the power of story telling.
St. Nicholas has spent this spring and summer on Broadway and has since been adapted to several stages nationwide. This Tampa production is directed by USF faculty member C. David Frankel, a Center regular who also was responsible for last year's highly praised No Exit.
Theater preview
WHAT: St. Nicholas: Women, Whiskey and Vampires?
WHERE: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Off-Center Theatre
WHEN: Friday, Saturday, Sunday COST: $10, $5 students
CALL: For tickets and information, (813) 229-7827
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