Reedy Point Players Bring "Angels" to Delaware

By guest blogger, R. Scott Frelick
R. Scott Frelick is Designer/ Artist who is a major supporter of our local arts community and a Board member of City Theater Company. 

In Reedy Point Players' World Premiere of Angels in Gangland: A Supernatural Tale, the audience is first introduced to Lou Tasca, the recently “whacked" protagonist. Lou (Craig Stump) explains that he can’t get into Heaven until he convinces the man who murdered him to leave the mob and join the Witness Protection Program. Assisting Lou is the ghost of Rabbi Solomon Levitsky, whose own son Sam is an “associate” of the Giordano crime family.  

A screenshot of Angels in Gangland performance. 
Courtesy of Jeff Gudzune.

Rabbi Sol (Hank Conklin) explains that Carlo Parisi (Jeff Gudzune) was ordered to kill Lou based on false information from Boss Tony Rizzo (Michael Brook).  At Carlo’s 30th birthday party, Lou’s ghost reveals Tony’s deception to a visibly shaken Carlo. Convinced that Carlo is on the edge of a nervous breakdown, Tony orders Sam (Fran Lazartic) to watch him. With an equal mix of dark comedy and supernatural intrigue,
Angels in Gangland proves to be a unique experience.   

Written by Robert Russel Smith, Angels in Gangland is an original work directed by Rachel Diane Barton and brought to life by a talented group of performers who stand out in their roles.  

While the action centers around Lou, everyone has a moment to stretch their creative muscles. Tya Pope is Carlo’s concerned and strong-willed fiancé, Sherri Falco. Corinth Ford is a riot as Cocktail Waitress and part-time Psychic Medium, Zoe Plato. Jeff Gudzune runs through a range of emotions as he brings Carlo’s conflict to life, providing emotional resonance in what must have been a thrilling and exhausting creative experience.  Fran Lazartic brings depth to the character of Sam as he confronts his own struggle with the supernatural.  Tina Walls stands out as the strong-willed wife of Boss Tony Rizzo, and Craig Stump plays Lou so well it’s like he was born for the part. 

A special treat was the Playwright himself, shining as Oleg Oransky. Even with what is going on in the world, it was great to see people from differing religious backgrounds working to bring peace to others souls. Angels in Gangland was performed May 16, 17, and 18 at Reedy Point Players space in Delaware City.  

This show may have closed, but Reedy Point is already working on ways to expand its audience and perhaps find a new venue for this amazing production. Reedy Point Players is a non-profit theater group founded in 2001 and located at 250 5th Street in Delaware City. 

Learn more at https://reedypoint.org/.