Extreme Angst
The Huntsmen by Quincy Long and directed by Kathleen
Dimmick is playing at the Portland Playhouse until February 17th. The theatre is housed in an old church at 602
NE Prescott St. For further information
on times and dates and their Season, contact them at www.portlandplayhouse.org and/or call 503-488-5822.
Oh, for the good ole days, we often say to ourselves. Things were much simpler then, in our
Youth. The lead character, Devon (Dean
Linnard) in this play, would sharply disagree, I’m sure, in a very cutting
way. We may be such “stuff as dreams are
made on,” but when the lines between reality and fantasy blur, it’s time
to…burst into song?!
The story of this misfit, alienated teenager does not easily follow a linear
path. This young fellow may simply be
experiencing growing pains (at best) or be a sociopath with homicidal tendencies
(at worst). He kills a fellow classmate
(or does he?) that laughs at his inability to perform sex; then his father
(Michael O’Connell) for wanting to turn him in (or does he?); then a series of
strangers, for either real or imagined wrongs, until he is a full-fledged
serial killer (or is he?) The dilemma is
real, the truth may not be.
Through it all, this inarticulate boy, seems to find his true voice only in
song. Is he really bad (or mad) or
just…misunderstood? Is his relationship
in this dysfunctional family with his father and mother (Sharonlee Mclean) and
her authoritarian boyfriend (Gavin Gregory) the root of all this evil within
him? Will the music he hears really,
eventually “soothe the savage beast?”
Questions asked but with no definitive answer forthcoming.
The style of the play is somewhat reminiscent of the 50’s avant-garde writers
such as Pinter, Beckett and even, early Albee. They only barely touched on plot-driven
stories and, only then, for the audience’s convenience. Their tales took place in the mind. A “no man’s land,” a kaleidoscope of kinetic
energy, signifying…nothing (or everything) depending on the viewer’s
interpretation. Is Hamlet (a teenager,
too) mad, or is his convenient “madness” just a good excuse for acting out his
growing pains. The same question might
be asked here, also.
The arc of the story does seem to follow an odd sort of logical line. Most of Mr. Jones’s chronology of events,
albeit chaotic at times, flows reasonably smoothly. The only bump in the road is his connection
with a music mogul and his blind daughter (Crystal Munoz). Although a well-acted bit, it seems to come
out of nowhere and, thus, has nowhere to go.
The music, (possibly a throw-back to the 50’s) is sung acappella by the
cast. The meaning is muddy at times but
many people do define their Youth by the music that was popular at the time. But, overall, it’s a riveting story,
well-played by an excellent cast, doing multiple roles.
Mr. Linnard is extraordinary as the teenager who is the focus of the
story. His hesitant delivery of lines,
his inarticulateness, his snapshot view of events, all lend to an awareness of
obvious frustration with himself and his environment. He is truly a joy to watch. And Mr. O’Connell as the father and the music
mogul, et. al., lends a sense of scary reality of recognizable characters from
life. He makes it look easy as he slips
from one role to another.
The rest of the cast is equally as good, playing all the other roles, as well
as a singing “Greek Chorus,” commentators of the action. Add Jared Miller, (very good as the Detective),
perhaps the one voice of reason (and possibly the audience’s viewpoint) who
tries to make sense of the proceedings.
The direction by Ms. Dimmick keeps the play moving at a brisk pace, much
like a stream of consciousness, attempting to put us inside the head of
storyteller.
Portland Playhouse consistently does innovative productions, never failing to
engage, engross and entertain an audience.
They are definitely one of the five best theatres in the Portland
area! I recommend this play. If you do go, please tell them that Dennis
sent you.
"The Rhythms of Life"
This
play is written by August Wilson and directed by Jade King Carroll. It runs through December 30th. The theatre is located 602 NE Prescott St. in
North Portland. For ticket and season
information call 503-488-5822 or visit them at www.portlandplayhouse.org.
The late, great playwright, August Wilson, wrote a 10-cycle play series about
the black experience from the 1900’s though the 1990’s in the Hill District of
Pittsburgh, PA, where he grew up. Recently ART did a prequel of this story, Seven Guitars, with a couple of the
same cast members. (Read my review of that show on this blog.)
At the center of the story is King Hedley II (OSF actor, Peter Macon), a
ticking time bomb, dissatisfied with his lot in life. He is looking, if not for easy money, at
least a fair shake, unhampered by race issues.
He has a willing accomplice and supporter of anything he does from
Mister (Vin Shambry, son of Red from Seven
Guitars). Meanwhile his wife, Tonya
(Ramona Lisa Alexander—from Seven
Guitars) has a job and wants a family and a “normal” way of life.
They are living with the woman who raised Hedley, Ruby (Monica Parks), who has
her own desires and secrets. Next door lives Stool Pigeon (Victor Mack,
playing an older version of the same character he was in Seven Guitars). He spouts
Bible quotes, collects newspapers for his view of the world and, with all his
eccentricities, may be the most aware person of them all.
Into this explosive mix arrives Elmore (John Cothran, Jr.), a con man and an
old flame of Rudy’s. His intrusion into
their precarious lives, upsets the delicate balance and sets off a chain of
events that will, ultimately, end in tragedy.
To tell more of the story would expose parts of it best left to the
discovery of the audience.
The direction by Ms. Carroll keeps the energy and flow of the story moving at a
brisk space, although three hours long, it is never boring. Her connection with the actors in the show is
obvious, as every look and nuance of theirs has meaning. And the Scenic Design by Owen Walz is
terrific. You literally feel you have
been transported in time and space to the poorer section of a large city in the
80’s.
The whole cast is electric! I couldn’t
imagine anyone else playing those roles.
They actually inhabit them, as any trained professional actor would. Mr. Macon, as Hedley, is a powerhouse, a
force of Nature to be reckoned with, driving his character and the story to
its inevitable conclusion. Mr. Mack is fascinating to watch, as his
character tries to balance Bible
teachings with the harsh realities of the “real” world, a continuation of his character, Canewell, in Seven Guitars.
Mr. Cothran, Jr. is a master. His
monologues set up much of the history of the story and one is rapt when he
waxes eloquent on them. And Ms. Parks
does equally well with her reminisces of a world gone by and a life never
realized. Mr. Shambry and Ms. Alexander round out this
powerful cast, filling in solid support for the sad but powerful structure of
this tale.
An overall theme of Mr. Wilson’s about the world may be echoed in Stool
Pigeon’s words, “Ain’t gotta believe in it for it to be true.” And, possibly, from Ruby, about men, “…talks
like sugar but gives salt.”
But it’s also about Birth, Death, and Re-birth.
As proof, the seeds that Hedley plants to grow flowers; the kitten that
is buried in the garden, with the understanding that it will be re-born; the
death of one of the characters in the story, with a baby on the way to fill
this void; and Bible quotes throughout to the Cycle’s continuation. (Similar instances are in Seven Guitars.) The world may be “too much with us,” but with
us, it is, like it or not, for better or
worse.
Interesting to note that Wilson’s Two
Trains Running will be playing at OSF this Spring. The third of his plays performed in Oregon
within a year. Good to hear, as it’s
well deserved. If you choose to see this
play, tell them Dennis sent you.
