LOOK!  IN THE SKY!  IT’S A MOVIE!  IT’S A PLAY!

F. J. Hartland

When his son is killed in an accident, a distraught man fills the void in his life by obsessing over the JFK assassination—specifically, a man seen holding an umbrella on November 22, 1963.

This is the basis for The Umbrella Man, the current offering from The Rep.

Written by Edward J. Delaney and based on his screenplay, The Umbrella Man is billed as “a staged screenplay.”

My question is…why stage a screenplay?  Why not make a movie?  Isn’t that what screenplays are for?

And like most films, one can predict the ending after the first few minutes.

Directed by Robert A. Miller, The Umbrella Man looks very much like a film.  In fact, the major element of Stephanie Mayer Staley’s set (other than packing boxes and black chairs) is a huge movie screen.

The scenes are short and episodic.  Many of the large cast (13 in all) have a scene or two and never appear again.  The talents of such engaging Pittsburgh actors as Jarrod DiGiorgi, Michael Fuller, Erika Cuenca, John Shepard, Ted Brunetti, Sr. and Gregory Johnstone are pretty much wasted in “cameo” roles.

David Cabot does do a noteworthy job playing the sorrow and confusion of the devastated father.

Robert Haley gives the identical performance he gave in earlier productions, such as That Championship Season and 36 Views.

Lloyd Sobel’s lighting has a film noir quality; Steve Shapiro’s sound is overpowering at times and actually hurt my ears.

Obviously, I am the minority opinion as the Friday night audience gave the show a standing ovation.

I guess I’m old-fashioned.  If I want to see a movie, I’ll go to Loew’s Cinema.

The Umbrella Man continues through September 26.