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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2012)
theater Uncle Tom’s Truth Slaves take back history in UO’s I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle “Y PHOTO BY ARIEL OGDEN ou can’t change history!” cries abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe. with deep earnestness, right down to her smile and stilted “doll walk.” And Tom (Hershell And with a quick, knowing smile, Tom replies: “No, but you can change who Norwood) maintains an abiding sense of responsibility toward Stowe’s original novel, writes it.” adding introspection and complexity. This is the crux of University Theatre’s Dramaturge Rachel Foran’s well-written notes uproarious production of Robert Alexander’s I Ain’t suggest that Stowe was less responsible for the Thomas Varga (left), Lauren Reifer and Yo’ Uncle. The play’s characters, culled from the harmful racial stereotypes than were the unauthorized Hershell Norwood in I Aint Yo’ Uncle sometimes-celebrated Uncle Tom’s Cabin, proceed Tom Shows, in which Uncle Tom became an “Uncle to call out Stowe for the enduring, damaging Tom”; based loosely on the novel, these wildly stereotypes she helped create. Determined to popular touring productions glossed over the evils of rewrite their own stories in the wake of the Rodney slavery in favor of spotlighting the goofy antics of King beating, they use dance, rap, gospel and black Tom and Topsy. power to upend the traditional narrative of slavery. Now Topsy’s back, and she’s not happy. Alexander’s play makes use of everything from Emerging with utmost relevance for today’s melodrama to Mr. T references in an attempt to society, Topsy (Lauren Reifer) remains stubbornly inspire the audience to think, cringe and laugh. The unrepentant. Depicted as a mischievous imp without script is funny, though it doesn’t pull any punches parents or Christian faith, she embodies Stowe’s when it comes to the atrocities of the antebellum criticism of the corrupt system of slavery and what South. Segments of I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle are diffi cult it produced. In I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle, Topsy moves to watch, and theater traditionalists may not seamlessly into the 21st century wearing a Nicki appreciate the production’s erratic, edgy circus of Minaj wig, ending the play on an unapologetic note, thought and emotion. But if the truth is messy, it’s full of anger and energy. still worth hearing. LaDonna L. Forsgren’s direction is similarly Not satisfi ed to simply run away, George Harris unapologetic. Forsgren uses the genre of melodrama (Nathan Urbach) returns with a black beret and a to mock itself, mingling humor with rape and murder, gun to take into his own hands the injustices of and ultimately creating an evening as entertaining as slavery. Naomi Wright’s Eliza, empowered by the it is thought provoking. — Anna Grace magnitude of her own epic drama, would prefer I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle: The New Jack Revisionist Uncle Tom’s Cabin runs that her husband drop the gun, come home and through June 2 at the UO’s Hope Theatre; a “talkback” with playwright stop trying to hone in on her scenes. As little Eva Robert Alexander will follow the Thursday, May 31, performance; ticket@ uoregon.edu or 346-4363. St. Claire, Sarah Ruggles approaches caricature Lucky in Love Odd couples find romance in Almost, Maine L ike the fi lms of Christopher Guest (especially Waiting for Guffman) and the Prairie Home broadcasts of Garrison Keillor, John Cariani’s Almost, Maine — now at the Very Little Theatre — sports a veneer of pleasantly skewed gentility. The play’s sentimental surfaces appear ready-made for the fuzzy liberalism that hums like a bumble across the honeyed airwaves of NPR. If, however, Cariani’s romantic comedy proves affable and easy on the senses, it would be a mistake to dismiss it as just another brindled, birchy bit of geriatric self-congratulations. As the kids say on Facebook: It’s complicated. Directed by VLT vet Michael P. Watkins, Almost, Maine indeed goes down easy. The play is broken up into a series of interconnected skits, each one as punchy and self-contained as a short story. Set in a rural hamlet that looks a lot like Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio (“We never got around to getting organized,” one townie explains, “so we’re just Almost”), most of the scenes involve a moment of unexpected poignancy between two sharply sketched characters. In Almost, love is in the air. In one bit, a woman mourning her divorce is suddenly kissed by the stranger upon whose property she wants to pitch a tent; in another passage, a pair of co-workers — a man and a virginal tomboy — do an awkward waltz around their unexplored mutual attraction; and in perhaps the play’s fi nest moment, a couple of blue-collar dudes complaining about their luck with women slowly realize they are falling, literally, in love. Almost, Maine transcends the treacly stuff of rom- com cliché by skipping the foreplay (attraction, obstacle, interruption, rekindling, consummation) and cutting right to the chase: the irrational romp of desire. Each successive vignette, like a fl ight of fancy, builds on the optimistic idea of the soul mate — the faith that, given enough time and patience, each of us eventually will encounter her/his perfect match. The larkish comedy in Cariani’s conceit derives from the fact that we might not immediately recognize that perfect match when it arrives, or it might have been right in front of our face all along. David Sherman’s nicely uncomplicated set (a bench, a porch, a fence) is full of wide-open spaces, and Watkins’ direction uses the big stage to good effect: The paired players interact with the vastness in such a way that they are by turns diminished or magnifi ed, according to the mood and rhythms of the action (for instance, a lonely guy sitting on a bench contemplating a snowball looks to be swallowed by the universe itself). And Watkins has assembled an attractive cast of comic actors that includes Cody Mendonca, Sean Dugan, Sophie Schmidt, Holly Stanley, Joseph Tanner Paul, Sarah Etherton and Jay Hash; they provide just the right amount of sweetness and spark to fi ll this modest but wise play with light. Almost, Maine isn’t looking to change the world, just to remind us what makes the world go ‘round. — Rick Levin Almost, Maine plays through June 9 at the Very Little Theatre; TheVLT.com or 344-7751. D ONALD D EXTER J R DMD LLC DENTISTRY Our vision is simple – we believe in integrity above all else, and we serve those who are seeking a trusted source for their dental care Browse our website or call if you have any questions! We look forward to providing your care. 2233 W ILLAMETTE S T , B LDG B • 541-485-6644 w w w. d r d e x t e r. c o m 24 MAY 31, 2012 EUGENE WEEKLY WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
