Allison Mack Sheds Chloe Sullivan To Become Edie King in "Apple Cove"

Living in New York City has a lot of benefits. Great food, great atmosphere, great theatre. One of the major benefits in New York City is the ability to get up close and personal with your favorite television stars. Now, I am not a Smallville fan but I always admired Allison Mack's role of Chloe Sullivan on Smallville. The role reminded me of myself--a eager writer who is always there for her close friends, especially if the close friend happens to be attractive but that does not matter to you. When she was in Love, Loss, and What I Wore over the summer David and I jumped at the chance to go even though it was opening night and did not get the chance to really talk to her after the show due to an after party. Well now it was our chance...to see if Allison Mack would not get the typecast roles that other actors involved in the Superman canon would receive.

But first...description of the play.

Apple Cove : When newlyweds Edie and Alan King move into the gated community of Apple Cove, they trust they have found a safe haven from the chaotic world outside. But when lush and forbidden roses start popping up in their garden, they quickly learn that nothing, not even electric gates, can keep nature out. Especially one's own nature.

When the play started, let me say that I was a little bit scared that I would not enjoy the play. It starts off kind of hokey, kind of religious, kind of guarded because that is what Apple Cove is--a place which is considered to be "safe" and a place where the "terrorists and bad things" stay out because life according to Apple Cove residents is just that; safe and guarded.

Allison Mack, who plays Edie King, throughout the play explodes with creativity and talent. One minute she is a tame housewife, tending to her garden, and tending to the needs and wants of everyone in her family EXCEPT hers. Everyone in the community knows her business; even when she screams because she nicked herself gardening. But the primal scream she lets out opens up a world of exploration through the character known as Duke, played by Dion Mucciacito. He talks funny, thinks he is some CIA undercover cop but brings forth a world that Edie wants to explore. Duke would be considered the "forbidden fruit" that people are told to stay away from but no one really follows that advice. Allison then turns into a exploratory mistress who screams to get the attention of Duke and then starts questioning everything about her life, where she lives, and why she should leave Apple Cove. Edie then in turn goes crazy and psycho with abandon and zest of curiousity; trying to get her husband to open up his eyes that life is not about safety--it is about taking risks. She unfortunately fails and her husband works for the firm where Edie's father works. Edie then grabs an ax and starts to destroy her house and opens up the floor where a swamp used to be as well as the roof to let the rain in--a visual of washing herself clean of the safe world and ready to go exploring and take risks.

Allison Mack...you are no longer Chloe Sullivan. As I said in the beginning, she shifts back and forth between tame wife and curious psycho woman. Allison, in my opinion, has opened herself up to numerous theatre and television roles that do not fall in the Superman canon. She is versatile and talented and hopefully the industry will not turn up their nose to her simply because of Smallville, which has been on the air for ten years on the WB Network which then became the CW Network. If you are in New York City between February 6th and March 6th GO SEE THIS PLAY! You will not be disappointed.