Thinner Than Water

Burbage Theatre Company's "Thinner Than Water" follows three half-siblings as they deal with their resentments and insecurities following the hospitalization of their father.

This is a great recipe for drama and the cast, with one exception, are uniformly excellent.

Allison Crews' direction is solid and there are individual moments that are powerful and effective. Unfortunately, the story never quite comes together.

Chain-smoking Renee is a suburban mother who unleashes her fury on Gary, a pothead who works in a comic book store, and Cassie (a likable Alison Russo), who is unable to commit to a relationship with her boyfriend Henry (Andrew Iacovelli). Cassie spends most of the time in her pajamas and has no desire to drive a car or even to answer her cell phone. She is hopelessly lost.

Rae Mancini turns in a powerhouse performance as Renee, a perpetually bitter woman who can't get over the hostility she feels for her father Martin (the always excellent Jim O'Brien).

Mancini has many wonderful scenes, one including a monologue late in the play when Renee's tough exterior breaks down and she reveals a tender side.

Clare Blackmer is also tremendously sympathetic as Martin's neurotic and talkative fianc�e Gwen, a woman who is tireless in her devotion.

Renee and Gwen first meet in a hospital waiting room. Their interaction is tense and awkward. Renee doesn't know what to make of this stranger. Eventually the two women bond and reveal the pain they have been carrying around for so long.

Dillon Medina is convincing as Gary, who seeks redemption by accepting the role of "big brother" for the son of single mother Angela, played in a shrill, overacted performance by Gabby McCauley.

Medina is electrifying when Gary finally comes to grips with his anger and berates Renee for her aberrant behavior.

James Lucey has some funny moments as Benjy, Gary's somewhat dim-witted co-worker who falls for Cassie.

Iacovelli does a good job of portraying Henry's frustration with Cassie, who he has broken up with several times.

Playwright Melissa Ross makes the fatal miscalculation of sidelining Martin, who only appears in two scenes.

All throughout the play, we are told over and over how awful a man Martin is and how it's his fault that Renee, Gary, and Cassie are such deeply dysfunctional human beings. Yet as played by O'Brien, Martin really doesn't seem so horrible at all. True, he is an alcoholic who produced offspring with three different women, but he comes off as genial and not abusive at all. Another huge problem is we never see him interact with his children, except in flashbacks with Renee. This undermines the entire foundation of the plot. If Martin was a horrible father, then we should see him exhibiting some type of bad behavior.

And to make matters worse, Ross throws in a final scene which is not only contrived, but comes completely out of left field. Instead of feeling joy, audiences are more likely to be puzzled.

"Thinner Than Water" had the potential to be a powerhouse drama, but it just fizzles out in the end.

"Thinner Than Water" runs through May 13. Burbage Theatre Company. 249 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket. For tickets, call 401-484-0355 or visit www.burbagetheatre.org