Phillyist Reviews The Biggest Box of Crayons

I need to begin this review by apologizing, profusely, to the cast and crew of The Biggest Box of Crayons. I've been burning the candle at both ends, and I may have dozed off for a few minutes at the beginning of the show. This was by no means a reflection on your abilities, but rather a reflection on the fact that I need to get more sleep.

I issue this apology because I feel like those few seconds I may have dozed through, I probably missed something great. Because when I was awake, I found The Biggest Box of Crayons to be one of the best new plays I've seen in Philadelphia in quite some time. The excellent script, written by Nicholas Wardigo, centers around Sam (Robert Cronin), and his grandson, Zach (Dylan Clements). The cast is rounded out by Pete, Sam's neighbor and close friend (Jerry Puma), and Carl, Zach's father and Sam's son (Marc Shule). Sam is aging, suffering from flashbacks. And as hard as Zach tries to take care of his grandfather, things aren't getting any easier. Zach often has to leave his grandfather and his beloved crayons to Pete's care, and Carl won't hear any of it -- he's prepared to put Sam in a home.

All of the performances in The Biggest Box of Crayons were stellar, right down to the small-town Pennsylvania accents and depictions of the problems of aging. But if I had to pick a stand-out, I'd have to go with Jerry Puma, whose portrayal of Pete was particularly entertaining and touching. He begins the play as comic relief but becomes the glue that holds everyone else together; he has an exchange with Carl toward the end of the show that truly moved me to tears.

The Biggest Box of Crayons, directed by Robin Eisenberg for the Philadelphia Theatre Workshop will run at the Mum Puppettheatre through May 7. It's worth going -- I promise!

Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Theatre Workshop.