Eugene weekly., March 10, 2011, Page 36, Image 36

theater
Clutter Can’t Kill This Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird: The title alone stirs up all the love and
controversy belonging to this simply told, complex story. OSF’s
production starts out on the right track. The set is sparse, with a
few weathered, wooden pieces augmented by massive black-and-
white projections suggesting the small southern town of Maycomb.
Christopher Sergel’s clean stage adaptation pulls out the greatest
strengths of Harper Lee’s novel, character and language, and sets
them unhampered on the stage before us.
Bogging down this beautiful story, however, is a cluttered
production. The projections were cool, but their overuse was
a continual and annoying reminder that I was watching a play.
Blocking was often unnatural and complicated, and too much time
was spent fussing with set pieces. The strongest scene by far was
the courtroom, where projections were limited and movement was
dictated by the story.
Regardless, the production contains extraordinary performances.
Mark Murphy’s Atticus Finch carries the strength of Gregory Peck’s
memory, but is less glamorous and more real as an intellectual
widower caring for two children. Susannah Flood is Mayella Ewell
in every way. A brilliant choice was made to cast deaf actor Howie
Seago as Bob Ewell. He captures the unrepentant ugliness of the
character, and the signing between he and Mayella adds another
layer to their complex relationship.
While much of the beauty of the OSF productions lies in
the company’s commitment to taking chances and trying new
technologies, Lee’s iconic and timeless story of community and
otherness, of justice and murder, would have been better played if
left to its own perfect simplicity. — Anna Grace
Modernizing Moliere
Crazy wigs, fl ashing lights and fabulous go-go boots have completely
transformed a Moliere classic. Never stuffy to begin with, the 17th-century
playwright’s The Imaginary Invalid has been thoroughly re-booted for a
modern audience.
Moliere was writing in the midst of the scientifi c revolution. New
discoveries (the heart pumps blood!) and new inventions (the microscope!)
were turning medicine on its head as new ideas mixed with old practices
to create a plethora of panacea. On its basest level, The Imaginary Invalid
pokes fun at the new medical profession and those who blindly follow its
fads and fancies. Yep, still relevant.
This adaptation by Oded Gross and Tracy Young is wild, taking vast
liberties with the script and story to set the play in 1960s Paris. The idea
behind their concept is that when Moliere played on the French stage of
1673, audiences would have had a similar experience.
Gross and Young may have gone a little too far.
Not that I’m complaining. The Imaginary Invalid is hysterical. The play
is funny on every level, with everything from erudite references to enema
jokes. I was laughing so hard I think I probably spit on the woman sitting in
front of me (sorry!). David Kelly is delightful as the hypochondriac Argan,
and he is evenly matched, if not slightly overtaken, by K.T. Vogt as the
trickster servant Toinette. Christopher Acebo’s brilliant set is positively
teeming with top-notch performances.
The danger in a comedy rollicking at such a dizzying pace is that it can
overstimulate audiences, leaving them laughing without much to
chew on and making the performance ultimately unsatisfying.
Fortunately, Gross and Young have pulled a touchingly human
Ashland’s Oregon
Shakespeare Festival runs
story out of Moliere’s original. At its heart, The Imaginary Invalid
Feb. 18 through Oct. 9;
asks us to question how we live during the short time we have on
info & tickets at
earth. I would suggest you take three of the hours you’ve been
www.osfashland.org
given and spend them laughing at The Imaginary Invalid. — Anna
Grace
Veteran OSF Actor
Flies South
I was sure there must have been a
misprint. Flipping through my program just
minutes into my weekend at the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival, I couldn’t fi nd Dan
Donohue listed among the company
members. A staple on the Ashland Stage,
Donohue is always in the best plays with
some meaty, Shakespearean role to rock.
Dan “Hamlet-Iago-Henry V” Donohue?
Gone? What the fair Ophelia is going on
here?
I caught up by phone with the
veteran OSF actor who’s put down
stakes in L.A., trying his luck in fi lm
and television.
“But why?” I ask, sounding not
unlike Cindy-Lou Who. He laughs,
joking, “I was ready to take a break
36 MARCH 10, 2011
EUGENE WEEKLY
from acting, so naturally I moved to L.A.” If the
thought of OSF’s best and brightest pounding
the pavement beneath the Hollywood sign
leaves you cold, fear not. This newly struggling
actor shtick is all part of his plan.
“I’ve been at OSF on and off since 1994,”
Donohue says. “It is a very safe environment
to work in. In some ways the safety fosters
creativity, but there are dangers in becoming
too complacent.” And complacency is not an
option for a new actor in the City of Angels.
You can’t get much further from the
pleasantly tiny town of Ashland than the
thudding, bright city of L.A. True, both are
fi lled with Californians, but that’s where
the similarities end. In L.A., Donohue says,
“you are forced to constantly work on new
material. You have to jump at things quicker,
work faster.” While no stranger to the city,
Donohue has experienced a bit of culture
shock. Los Angeles, he says, “rattles you and
excites you in equal measure.”
Leaving Ashland was by no means a move
motivated by dissatisfaction with the company.
Donohue has the highest regard for Bill Rauch,
now in his 5th year as OSF artistic director.
“When I work with him, my work is better,”
Donohue says. But year after year in Ashland
had taken its toll on Donohue. He feared artistic
atrophy, and a good workout in a different
genre will certainly be preventative. At his
core, Donohue identifi es as a theater actor, but
ultimately he wants to have a long career that
crosses the gap between stage and screen.
When I ask about any future work at OSF,
Donohue says that he will always consider
Ashland an artistic home base. So does that
mean he’ll be back? He is laughing again,
saying, “That’s certainly a possibility.”
We at the Eugene Weekly wish him the
best of luck. In the meantime you can keep
up with the adventures of this talented fi sh
as he negotiates new waters. His website is
www.dandonohue.com – Anna Grace
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM