I'd seen "Art" quite a few years back and found it utterly pretentious and absolutely dull. I was bored the entire way through the play, so when I heard "Art" was making a comeback and Bruce was cast in it, I was worried. I wanted to like it for him, of course - but I had such a bad taste in my mouth from the first time I saw it that I really dreaded opening night.
Last season it was The Williamston Theatre who presented "Art" - and I was completely blown away. I was thoroughly engaged in the cerebral humor, and quickly found out that Tony Caselli was able to bring out the meaty emotions in the show easily - it was fierce and fast-moving. That show was a totally different production in every way possible, except for the white painting, than the show I'd seen before.
Caselli had this innate talent to extract from the script the intricacies of friendship, and his show was just as funny as it was frenetic. In fact, there was constant movement and constant contention amongst this group of three intellectuals that was incisive and intense, and left me wanting more..."Art" went from a show that I absolutely abhorred to my gaining my admiration and respect. Caselli was not afraid to let these men become vicious, venal and victimized. He pulled out the heart of friendship, dissected it, and put it back together - as best as a friendship can be sewn back together after betrayals occur - for the audience to absorb as they left the theatre.
"Leaving Iowa" is just as passionate - though this time director Caselli chose a play that focuses on family. It's much more gentle, though just as quick-witted and moves at the same breakneck speed as "Art," with all of the insights now tuned into the intricacies of time, and the memories of childhood that hook back into the business of today. The particular business of today involves the Browning family, a distant son, an urn of his father's ashes, and a "damned adventure."
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of "Leaving Iowa" is the ability of John Lepard and Teri Clark Linden to revert to children and back to adults with subtly but absolute accuracy. As children, they reincarnate all of the emotions and antics you could observe in any backseat, in any family, taking a road trip and making stops on the way for their yearly vacation. It's as if Mr. Lepard and Ms. Linden open up and invite the inner children in themselves to take over, playing these parts with uninhibited energy. Mr. Lepard had the more difficult role of needing to transition more often on stage while telling the audience about memories of his family - and with a simple slump of the shoulders and bent head, the transformation was made. And yet, there were other times he threw himself to the floor with with wild abandon as a frustrated child throwing a tantrum.
The energy of Ms. Linden was magnetic; she channels a bratty, conniving older sister without being over the top or making it 'feel' like she's acting. It's totally natural to watch her tease Mr. Lepard with obnoxious gloating, and laugh at her antics as she does so.
Hugh Maguire and Ann Miranda also channel very real parents who just want to have fun on their family vacation, and fall victim to the traps and frustrations inherent in trying to please everyone. Mr. Maguire is heartbreaking at times as the father doing his best to make his children happy - he is the salt of the earth, earning him the respect of his children as they become adults, but for his son, a bit too late. Ms. Miranda played the loving wife, giving an intimate look into a woman who is loyal to her husband, tries to keep the peace with her kids, and yet has her own quirks and worries made known as the show progresses.
The last actor of "Leaving Iowa" plays just about every person Mr. Lepard meets as he tries to find a respectable place to leave his father's ashes. Bruce Bennett played so many roles I lost count because I was so enthralled with the movement of the show. He was easily able play everything from a mullet-owning-skillet-wielding fry cook to a cynical professor playing darts and drinking beer. But his best performance was that of Mr. Peneplain, the owner of the hog farm that sits in the exact center of the United States. His scene with Ms. Miranda and Mr. Lepard is gentle, moving, and so very sweet. Mr. Bennett purrs with the understanding of what Mr. Lepard needs to do for his father, and helped to set the mood for the end of the show, beautifully fulfilled by Mr. Lepard, by leading the audience into a more somber scene at a slower pace.
I do believe that professional productions should be held to a higher standard of criticism because the people involved are paid for what they do, they make their living at it, and they compete - sometimes fiercely - for these roles. Caselli has a gift in casting the right people in the right parts - just because a theatre is professional doesn't necessarily mean that all of the shows are going to be better than what you might see in a community theatre. I've seen many shows at LCP and Riverwalk that have blown me away - so getting paid doesn't necessarily make you a better actor. It's the director's job to cast the right people to carry out the intent of the show - Caselli is a master with this talent. He understands the art of humor, poignancy, and the complexities of getting an author's point across without trampling it, changing it, or falling into the trap of losing the audience with lachrymose endings.
There was not a weak link in this cast - staged on a mostly bare set, "Leaving Iowa" hits you where you live - it's as intense as "Art" but infinitely more gentle. I'm not sure as many people could really relate to the core of "Art," however "Leaving Iowa" will pluck upon the chords of memory to everyone who sees it.
October 2 - November 9, 2008
A warm, nostalgic and moving comedy about a man who returns to his childhood home in the Midwest following the death of his father. On his quest for the perfect place to scatter his father's ashes, he relives the family vacations he spent trapped in the backseat of their station wagon.
"4 out of Fordyce... you want to get your tickets to this show RIGHT NOW."~ Jim Fordyce, MIEntertainment.com Click here to read entire review.
Performances are Thursday and Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.
Please note there is no 3pm matinee on Saturday, October 4.
Tickets Prices: Pay-What-You-Can ~ Thursday, October 2
Preview performances ~ $15, October 3 - 9
Thursday evenings ~ $18
Friday and Saturday evenings ~ $24
Saturday and Sunday matinees ~ $20
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