COMEDY IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS

So much could have gone wrong in this production of playwright David Templeton’s delightfully original and utterly unique Featherbaby, but in the able hands of director Weylin Symes, this co-world premiere (simultaneously produced in California) takes flight.

Let’s start with the casting. To say that Paul Melendy is the perfect choice to play the parrot Featherbaby sounds ridiculous. His recent roles as a sanitation worker in The Garbologists and as the Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone did not hint at his avian abilities. And yet he completely captures the postures and movements of a parrot, even while communicating in human English.

It would have been easy for costume designer Deirdre Gerrard to head down the wrong track by trying to dress Melendy in some giant parrot-version of Big Bird; but instead we are treated to Melendy in a green suit with a floral jacket and a yellow shirt that captures the colors of a parrot while allowing us to enjoy Melendy’s subtle body movements. This rakish attire reflects Featherbaby’s view of his own role in the world and his self-image as a debonair and sophisticated observer. Scenic designer Katy Monthei contributes as well: the set is a lush evocation of Featherbaby’s rain forest origins as well as of an urban apartment. Matthew Cost and Mackenzie Adamick build on that scenery with effective lighting and sound design.

Melendy is in action for the entire hour and forty-five minute performance. Even when Liv Dumaine and Gabriel Graetz—Featherbaby’s humans Angie and Mason—are talking to one another, Melendy moves about the set, expressing Featherbaby’s reaction to the conversation with movements of his head and body (any gender can play the role). Angie and Mason’s storyline is quite straightforward, but what makes it interesting is that we see their efforts to form a relationship, first with each other and then with Featherbaby, not through their eyes but from the perspective of a pet parrot.

Along the way we learn a number of things about parrots and the Amazon rain forest, as well as a thing or two about the world of competitive jigsaw puzzling. Graetz is especially sympathetic as a man who continues to behave with decency in the face of rejection and even physical pain. Which is not to downplay the fact that this is a comedy first, even as it’s a poignant exploration of the relationships between humans and their pets, and a consideration of what it means to take an animal from its natural habitat and place it in captivity.

photos by Nile Scott Studio

Featherbaby
Greater Boston Stage Company
395 Main Street in Stoneham, MA
1 hour, 45 minutes
ends on September 28, 2025
for tickets ($25-69), call 781-279-2200 or visit GBSC

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston