In his illustrious, Barrymore Award-winning career, Scott Greer has reveled in revealing the depth of his characters. His penchant for probing their humanity has met the perfect match through his opportunity to portray Frank Rizzo, with the resident of the 800 block of Federal Street and colleagues from the eponymous play about the polarizing politician having given a taste of the text to onlookers at Ninth and Montrose streets Sept. 15.
“He is such an iconic figure and a huge piece of the fabric of this city’s history,” the Passyunk Square dweller, who captured the South Philly Review’s Readers’ Choice Award for top actor/actress/comedian in March, said of the former resident of the 2300 block of South Rosewood Street. “There is no gray area in having an opinion on him. People either love or hate him, so it’s a real responsibility to create a portrayal that is full and complex and as big as the man himself.”
Greer and the South Philly-heavy cas ventured to the 9th Street Italian Market to offer the first scene from the work by Pennsport-situated playwright Bruce Graham. The creation, drawing inspiration from Sal Paolantonio’s book “Rizzo: The Last Big Man in Big City America,” centers on the titular character’s 1991 run for the mayor’s office and finds Greer reprising the role that he played last fall when Theatre Exile, 1340 S. 13th St., premiered the play in Old City. Audiences so voraciously ate up the Rizzo narrative that founding artistic director Joe Canuso and producing artistic director Deborah Block, two more South Philly inhabitants, desired a remount and approached Philadelphia Theatre Co. (PTC)
“We believe in the play, so we told them immediately that we would absolutely stage it,” Sara Garonzik, the executive producing director for the Center City entity, said just before Greer et al took their places in front of the famous (and infamous, to many, judging by its frequent vandalization) mural of Rizzo. “It’s especially important that we’re presenting the work now since the presidential election is looming and people are looking at the legacies of local and federal leaders.”
PTC will hold previews of the work tomorrow through Sunday and Tuesday, with the run lasting from Sept. 28 through at least Oct. 16, as Garonzik expects an extension based on preliminary ticket sales figures. No matter if the powers that be add performances of the look at the Girard Estate native, who served as the Philadelphia Police Department’s commission from 1967 to ’71 and held the mayorship from ’72 to ’80, Graham believes that patrons will go way beyond the surface so as to comprehend Francis Lazarro Rizzo Sr.’s intense nature.
“He’s a fascinating character,” the scribe, whose “According to Goldman” and “The Outgoing Tide” have also received PTC stagings, said. “In conveying his importance to the cultural climate of Philadelphia, it was important for me to balance the stormy and turbulent times with laughter, and there is a sort of Greek chorus of Philadelphians, too, to give accounts of the period. Last year’s experience was incredible, so we’re hoping for similarly strong reactions.”
Graham finds himself especially blown away in being a part of such a rapid remount, something that he said “almost never happens in this business.” The uniqueness of the opportunity, which yielded rewritten portions, proves especially appealing to Garonzik and her peers.
“This fits in perfectly with our mission,” she said of the 42-year-old regional theater company’s desire to present “entertaining and imaginative contemporary theatre focused on the American experience.” “We’re all confident that it’s going to look absolutely great on our stage.”
SETTING THE ACTION in ’91 stands as a solid choice, as that offers a quarter-century’s worth of reflections on Rizzo, who died that year on July 16 at the age of 70. A statue of the simultaneously revered and reviled individual has received additional attention lately and not as an exercise in art appreciation, with many backers saying it should remain outside the Municipal Services Building as a tribute to his commitment to law and order and plenty of detractors stating it lauds a racially insensitive and corrupt man and needs to go. Those variant stances have made the remount that much more interesting, with last week’s free peek in the Italian Market drawing ample applause.
“It was a unique opportunity for us,” Michele Gambino, the business manager for the 9th Street Business Association, said of hosting the gathering. “Talks began in June or July, and the result was this very well-done reading.”
Nearly three dozen people observed the introductory scene, with 10 times that many theatergoers expected to fill the Suzanne Roberts Theatre at Broad and Lombard streets. In the opener, Rizzo, who ran as a Republican after having served his mayoral terms as a Democrat, engages in discussions on how to attract voters, with the use of humility emerging as a possible component of the path to victory. A synopsis tabs Rizzo as “A big guy who left an even bigger impression,” and Canuso, who will direct the show, will employ an amazing thespian to express the enormity.
“I’m a transplant but also a proud Philadelphian,” Greer, an Atlanta product, said upon completing his morning turn as the mayor. “I read Sal’s book upon moving here, so I had been very well aware of Rizzo’s status and stature before taking on this wonderfully well-written look at his life. I’m thrilled to have another occasion to play him, and we’re all eager to see how everything will translate in moving from the Christ Church Neighborhood Center (the site of last year’s performances) to the Suzanne Roberts Theatre.”
Gambino, who recalled hearing about the love-or-loathe attitude toward Rizzo when she was growing up, likewise hopes the 26 run dates make for a memorable chance to fuel the debate on how fervently we should vet our leaders and what our allotment of reverence or disdain for them says about our own makeup.
“The arts in Philadelphia are really strong,” she said, adding that her employer will primarily promote “Rizzo” through Ninth Street Night on Oct. 14, which is also when PTC will hold Debate Night: The Rizzo Legacy — Love Him or Leave Him. “We’re honored that we hosted today’s little kickoff, and we encourage everyone to see the full show.” SPR
Call 215–985–0420, or visit philadelphiatheatre.org.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com.
