Wvw Puts 10 In Semis 
Hazleton Area, Coughlin Follow With Seven Each

2 Get Jail Terms In Assault On Child

By PAUL GALLAGHER; Arts and Entertainment Editor
 Friday, February 17, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C 





Ordinarily, when a play begins with a high level of intensity, it can be
difficult to either turn down the heat or turn it up. Either way, there must
be change, otherwise the audience will become bored. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Sniper" doesn't allow for boredom. The original play, by Wilkes faculty
member Bonnie C. Bedford, is being produced at the Dorothy Dickson Darte
Center through Sunday, Feb. 19. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Running just under 90 minutes, and presented without intermission, "Sniper"
manages to modulate increasing steps of intensity until it releases the
audience at the very end. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The play is based on the true story of a 17-year-old boy who killed eight
people in a small New York town. He seemed to be everything but the
stereotypical assassin: a straight-A student, an achiever, a "good boy." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The play is being directed by Adam Hill and stars Bobby Zameroski as the
boy, Anthony Vaccaro. Aside from the acting professional Zameroski, the
remainder of the cast is made up of Wilkes students and alumni. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zameroski's performance is stunning from his character's first monologue,
in which he recounts his carnage in a matter-of-fact fashion, yet twitches
with each offstage sound of a gunshot. Throughout the show, Zameroski builds
slowly in his intensity to show the mounting confusion and frustration of
Anthony. The scenes, staggered in a series of flashbacks, don't throw
Zameroski's character work: he modifies Anthony's innocence or frustration
with each date. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Zameroski is surrounded by a strong cast which demonstrates some solid
character work. Jack Evans provides great depth to his character of John,
Anthony's strong-willed father. Evans' presence is complemented well by Marisa
Rae, playing Anthony's stoic mother Louise. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One scene, featuring both Louise and John discussing their other son's
death, is powerful both in its dialogue and in character subtext. Neither
touches; neither approaches the other for comfort. Both are isolated. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jeanne Murphy, as Susan, Anthony's young girlfriend, has a focus with her
character that allows her to seem almost spontaneous on stage. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 John Swanson's set creates a fine playing area that serves each scene and
allows the cast to remain seated, away from the action, as if they were a jury
or a classic Greek chorus. Swanson also designed superior lighting, using a
series of tight spots and moody special effects that perfectly suit the work. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yet despite the strengths, the very end of the work doesn't quite seem to
jell with most of the preceding action. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After bringing us to the very point of Anthony's breakdown, the play shifts
gears, presenting a cake onstage, into which cast members stick roses -- a
reference to a vision Anthony sees when he shoots people. Likewise, the cake
is a reference to an earlier scene. Each rose represents a victim. A final
rose is plunged in by Anthony, presumably a victim himself. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's a neat touch, but the ending doesn't quite fall within the established
order of the bulk of the play. Rather than being presented like most of the
play -- ignorant of the audience -- it breaks that wall, and is spoken out to
the house. As such, it seems out of synch with the preceding scenes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But this is a play that's strong in dialogue, character, direction and
technical work. And it isn't often that original work is presented around this
area with tight control over all these elements. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Sniper" is a play worth seeing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 * * * &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Sniper," by Bonnie C. Bedford. Darte Center, South and River streets,
Wilkes-Barre. Tonight and Saturday, Feb. 17-18, 8 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 19, 2
p.m. $5. 831-4540. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

'sniper's' Shot Thorugh With Intensity