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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2007)
BY SUZI STEFFEN Frozen seeks answers on questionable ground Ten words: Fear. Anguish. Loss. Suffering. Mother. Psychopath. Neurologist. Confrontation. Healing? Freedom? A friend who came along with me to Frozen told me about her friend who reviews movies and plays in 10 words. In the spirit of his blog, I have made several attempts to sum up the Lord Leebrick’s production of Bryony Lavery’s 2004 Tony-nominated play. Terrifying topic, varied acting levels; Dan Pegoda, the villain, kills. This play, directed by Carol Horne, rather defines seriousness, mixing death and abuse and agonizing relationships as the three on- stage characters deliver soliloquy after solilo- quy in a slow march toward something — ac- ceptance? Persistence? Survival? Justice? Maybe all of these. When I say Pegoda kills, I mean that his character, Ralph, murders people in the ac- tion of the play, but also that Pegoda’s acting once again ratchets Eugene’s theatrical com- munity up several levels. Ralph’s sincere creepiness seeps in from the opening sec- onds, with the discussion of a hard day’s “work” and the landlady’s lack of under- standing of his dining preferences. The way Pegoda shows Ralph licking his lips, twitch- ing his legs ever so slightly, never quite en- gaging the audience with his constantly blinking eyes — all generate a frightening portrait of an aggrieved, aggressive, dis- turbed man. In the second act, Pegoda’s skill even convinces the disgusted audience to give Ralph some sympathy. His virtuoso per- formance creeps into thoughts and dreams long after the play ends. Like Ralph, Nancy (Ellen Chace) ages 20-plus years during the course of the play, and like Pegoda, Chace must demonstrate her character, the mother of a murdered girl, from small pieces of informa- tion and actions. Chace’s strengths emerge as Nancy ages and also as Crace per- forms scenes with others, in- cluding an unseen daughter. Unfortunately, Chace doesn’t convince as much in the long first act, partially because of costume choices. Nancy as a nervous though intelligent younger woman needs differ- ent clothes (and a different af- fect, from voice to hair to body movement) than the second-act Nancy, whose strength and no-nonsense determination direct the course of her emotional journey. The music playing whenever Chace took the spotlight intruded and distracted; perhaps a bit of vol- ume control might take it more to the back- ground and let Chace embody Nancy more fully. The third character, neurologist Agnetha (Storm Kennedy), only participates in the present action of the play, but she begins the entire timeline-twisted evening with what should be an overwhelmingly poignant scene. Picture the stunning performance of Judith Stevenson in Truly, Madly, Deeply cry- ing without restraint — that’s the kind of act- caption CREDIT Afterlife ing called for in this scene. The grief Agnetha feels about her own loss even as she attempts to analyze Ralph should touch the audience as well. But Kennedy seems to have excellent comic timing, which is unfortunate in Frozen as there’s little humor in the script, including in that opening scene. The audience often didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and that’s a problem Kennedy must address over the run of the play if she’s to succeed. This play deals with weighty issues — death, the nature of evil, the courage to con- front and move through tragedy — using a tightly focused lens. Some of Lavery’s script treats, a bit too lightly through that offstage daughter, forgiveness and the transforma- tions necessary for survival after massive grief, but the playwright also wants to ad- dress responsibility. Part of the script hinges on a discussion of nature vs. nurture and whether brain damage combined with emo- tional abuse causes a lack of empathy. That’s a scary discussion, considering the number of brain injuries incurred by soldiers in Iraq. But the answer doesn’t matter, the play seems to say during an intense truth-and-reconcilia- tion-style scene which Chace and Pegoda in- habit with profound grace. The answer does- n’t matter because each person is finally re- sponsible for her own actions, the suffering he causes, the actions she takes. And this truth, which traps Ralph in the prison he cre- ated, finally frees Nancy to pursue her own life but leaves Agnetha, seeking reassurance, desperately alone. Opening night attendance seemed sparse, especially compared to that at other Leebrick productions this season. This play and this theater deserve better. Please reward the Leebrick for its courageous programming with your presence. One more: Twenty years of suffering; final statement says, “Live with it.” ew Frozen runs through April 14. Tix available at www.lordleebrick.com or 465-1506. MARCH 29, 2007 33
