The Measure of a Man
This dark comedy is written by James Lecense and directed by
Donald Horn. It is playing at their
space in The Sanctuary, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd. (free parking lot to the West of
the building) through May 26th. For more information, go
to their site at www.trianglepro.org
or call 503-239-5919.
It is said that the world exists around contrasts. If that is so, then an old Mexican adage might
be true. For it says that if the
Devil/Evil/Darkness exist, it proves the existence of God/Goodness/Brightness, for
that is the counter-balance. No need for
Evil, you see, if there wasn’t Good. And
so, in this tale, we shall meet the Brightness through the lives that Leonard
touched.
Leonard is a teenage boy who happens to be gay in a small
community on the Jersey Shore. He has
disappeared and it is up to Detective Chuck DeSantis (Todd Van Voris) to find
him. DeSantis is a throw-back to the old
Noir detective, ala Mickey Spillane and his ilk. His partner, Marty, is also just such an
animal, too, preferring a loud voice to announce arrivals, rather than the
intercom. A motley crew, to say the
least.
Through DeSantis’s investigation, he will meet those that
had connected with Leonard. There is the
brash, brassy, Ellen, his “aunt” and caretaker, and owner of the local beauty
salon. There is her daughter, Phoebe,
equally outspoken and won’t take crap from anybody. They have a sort of love/hate relationship
with the boy. Then we have Buddy, the
head of the drama school where Leonard attended and who was set to play Ariel
in “The Tempest.” Buddy has had previous
run-ins with the law.
Another “upstanding” citizen of this community is Gloria, wife
of the late mob boss, who ruled the underworld with an iron fist. She claims not to have seen anything of note
but does have two, big ears and hears a lot.
In contrast (see how this theory works) Marion is a bird-watcher and
sees all sorts of things, including, perhaps, some things she shouldn’t. Otto is a German watchmaker of the old school
and has no use for this new electronic age, as he feels there is no art to it
(he and I concur on that level). He and
leonard would chat and read stories to each other at times after his
classes. And Travis is one of the
bullies that would beat up on Leonard regularly, just because he was different.
All friends of Leonard’s, in odd ways, perhaps, and, of
course, also suspects. And, one more
thing, which rises this play to another level, Van Voris plays all the
characters! And, besides the community,
there are also the clues, which range from his backpack and one sneaker, some
fairy wings he made, to a money clip his mother gave him, et. al. Of course, I’m not going to give away the
ending, that would be cheating, like reading the last page of a mystery (oh,
you do that, too, shame on us).
But the purpose of this story is not really about the
mystery itself but, as mentioned, about contrasts, about how we are all
inner-connected, and how one person, who dares to live his life the way he
chooses, despite obstacles and opposition, can waylay the fears in ourselves to
rise to a higher level. Also, as Attis Finch,
in the compelling novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird ”says, that sometimes you have
to get inside of another person and walk around in his skin for awhile to see
other points of view. And so, may
Leonard’s “brightness” rub off on all of us!
Van Voris is extraordinary, as he always is in everything he
does onstage. The secret to playing an
assortment of characters on the boards is to keep it simple but clean. With only some essential props, a change in posture and voice and, perhaps, a costume
piece, one actor can create a universe on an essentially bare stage. The purest form of theatre may be
storytelling, so an actor in such a situation must assume that posture. Van Voris is just such an actor and is at the
top of his game here. Long may he reign!
Horn, with some subtle but clever lighting changes for mood
and setting (designer, Trevor Sargent) has created another intriguing play that
both entertains and educates…the best of all worlds! And, if you’re lucky enough to chat with him
about Portland’s theatre history, you are indeed blessed, as he is a wealth of
information, as well as having an array of books in his library for sale of
related subjects. Also, if you have info
on the early days of Portland’s artistic history, you might want to contact
him.
I highly recommend this show, especially for Van Voris.
If you do choose to see it, please tell them
Dennis sent you.
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