Shetler
Theater 54
Equity approved showcase
Through
Review
by Deborah S. Greenhut
They
say that ants can pull 50 times their weight, but the disabled humans do plenty
of hauling as they seek their ideal forms in Constance Congdon’s poignant tale of aliens, Alzheimer’s and
adolescence, produced by Nicu’s Spoon. Director Brett Maughan ensures that the
audience enters the world of the play immediately in this compact black box
theater by offering high production values and a scene already in progress.
The
play introduces male nurse Jerry’s world (Michael Hartney) as an entree
into the human hive. Soon, the Formicans arrive,
bearing an exceptionally well-costumed (Rien Schlecht) resemblance to
ants. Three aliens (Jovinna Chan, Russell Waldman, and Dirk Smile) and an
additional mannequin come to terms with human experience while wrestling
a chair around various human dilemmas experienced by the expertly played
Alzheimer’s victim Jim (Brian Coffey) and his long-suffering, but
compassionate, wife, Evelyn (Celia Bressak). Adding to the occasionally
comic, yet deeply frustrating onset of the disorder is a visit from their
divorced daughter, Cathy (Rebecca Challis), accompanied by her disabled Goth
son, Eric (Nico Phillips). Cathy’s friend Judy (Lindsay Goranson)
provides a naturalistic counterpart to the anxious clan of Jim.
The
production’s technical design supports Congdon’s
intention with many interesting visual and auditory moments. The set design
incorporates light, sound, and heavy lifting pieces that suggest an ant farm
populated by people. Thomas Cassetta’s sound
direction is excellent; producer Stephanie Barton-Farcas
can be complimented for ensuring that sounds always come from the correct
objects. Lighting (Steven Wolf) includes an excellent palette of alien
greens and blues, and the drama is heightened through effective light and
shadow.
Audiences
may respond slowly to Congdon’s deft humor, but the
tragic pathos of the character’s struggle is easily available thanks to the
excellent performances of Coffey,
Phillips, and Hartney. At times, characters
seem too focused on their own worlds -- their individual intentions can be seen
a bit too well -- but strong direction by Maughan ultimately transcends these
issues when the emotional payoff becomes necessary. The play is a wonderful
metaphor for the function of theater. One could accomplish a great deal by
sitting and listening. And the point of all the lifting of chairs? “Never force
anything.” Congdon has lent an ear to Plato in this sequence of terse epitomes
about finding one’s form: “All you have to do is gather it in.”
Writing: 3
Directing: 2
Acting: 1
Sets: 2
Costumes: 3
Lighting/Sound: 3
Copyright
2006 Deborah S. Greenhut
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