After a high-octane “Matilda” and the luscious “Prospect of Summer,” we are all left hankering for some more mesmerizing stagecraft. Enter Jeff Baron, John Kaasik, and Kathy Hills to the rescue with a reading of Baron’s play, “Brothers-in-Law.”
The reading is part of the Friday Night Dialogues series at the Shelter Island Public Library and takes place on Friday, September 9 at 7 PM.
Baron will read the role of one brother-in-law, with Shelter Islander John Kaasik playing the other. On the afternoon of their mother-in-law’s funeral, the brothers-in-law — a truck driver and a style consultant — separately break into their father-in-law’s locked man cave. Each has a reason he’s not telling the other. Despite being married to sisters for 12 years, the two men have never really engaged with each other.
Baron describes “Brothers-in-Law” as a populist American comedy.
“I’m hoping you’ll see yourself or someone you know in this play,” he said. “In-laws have a special place in a family. They’re part of everything but one step removed. Sometimes they see the family more clearly than the blood relatives.”
With theaters mostly dark during the pandemic, Baron invited Kaasik to participate in a reading of “Brothers-in-Law” on his back porch.
“Our audience of two was enthusiastic, and it made me want to see it with a larger audience.”
One preview audience member was Kathy Matthews Hills, an author, editor, and long-time Shelter Islander; she’ll be reading the stage directions at the library presentation.
‘Brothers-in-Law’ playwright Jeff Baron
Splitting time between Manhattan and Shelter Island, Jeff Baron is a playwright, novelist, and screenwriter whose dynamic work holds broad appeal. His best-known play, “Visiting Mr. Green,” premiered in June 1996 at the Berkshire Music Festival, starring Eli Wallach. It ran for a year at New York’s Union Square Theater with Wallach in the lead role.
“Visiting Mr. Green” has won best play awards in Greece, Mexico, Israel, Uruguay, Turkey, and Germany. It’s also been nominated as the best play in Buenos Aires, Paris, and New York.
Baron recently spoke at the library about the experience of shepherding “Mr. Green” from conception to worldwide audience favorite. He envisions the September 9 program as more of a performance, minus sets and props. For those who missed live theater, it’s back here on Shelter Island.
Note: The play involves adult language and may not be appropriate for younger patrons.
About John Kaasik
With his wife, Anu, John Kaasik has organized, produced, and directed the annual productions of the Shelter Island School Drama Club since 2008. Their latest effort — stalled but not axed by the pandemic — was “Matilda: The Musical” in April 2022.
An accomplished composer and playwright, Kaasik’s credits include “Murder by Mistake,” which was first produced on Shelter Island but has been picked up by schools and community groups around the country. With his brother Karl, he wrote “Servant’s Last Serve,” which has been produced by theater companies from New York to Texas.
Friday Night Dialogues
Please register in advance by following this link to the event on the library website. The library presents programs free of charge and gratefully accepts donations.
Questions? Contact Jessica Montgomery at jmontgomery@silibrary.org or 631-749-0042.
Next Up: Back by popular demand, “Battle of the Brains” with Bob DeStefano, at the library on September 30 at 7 PM. Test your trivia knowledge and vie for bragging rights.
Bonnie Berman Stockwell is a trustee of the Shelter Island Public Library.
