A new youth theatre company, The Completely Masqued Theatre Troupe, under the leadership of teen actor/writer/director/producer Joshua T. Ruth, has risen from the ashes of the defunct Phoenix Children's Theatre. These thirty or so people, none over the age of 23, have taken the old phrase "let's put up a show in the old barn" to new heights. Their current effort is a sprawling two-and-a-half hour epic entitled The Bentley Microcosm, which, as it's title implies, explores nearly every hot-button-topic facing high schoolers today. It has its share of problems in acting, directing, technical and text, but the impressive breadth of the text and production, coupled with the obvious commitment that everyone has to the project, make this an interesting show and make the company one to watch in the future.
At the heart of the show is impressario Joshua T. Ruth. He is a two-time ariZoni award winner for acting whose love of theatre is apparent from his creations and in talking with him face to face. He has somehow managed to get almost thirty teens and young adults fired up and generally in synch for this project, an impressive feat all in itself. Besides producing, he has also written the script, directed it, and even plays two smaller parts in it. With polishing and refining, Mr. Ruth has the makings of a theatrical renaissance man.
In the small desert suburban town of Bentley, suspiciously like any of the towns that ring Phoenix, high schoolers deal with friendship, love, hatred, self-awareness, violence, popularity, racism, social-labelling, suicide, pregnancy and abortion. Granted, these are enough themes to fill three full-length plays, but issues that are on the mind of every high schooler today.
It's hard to say exactly who the center of the play is, one of the problems with attempting to take on many of the world's problems in one evening of theatre. The show begins with Mark, an oddly clothed, nebulous teen who defies pigeon-holing. We enter his mind to hear his ranting against pigeon-holing, or, as he calls it, "tabelling." He then holds a "focus group" of some of his fellow classmates, which acts as an establishment of characters, and as a hint of the various topics which will be addressed. We then are transported to Bentley H.S., and see these teens in action, flirting with, snubbing and fighting with each other, always trying to retain their independence and individual styles while attempting to fit in as much as possible. Patrick, a computer nerd with strong moral convictions, takes on Carlos, a street tough with a Mexican chip on his shoulder, after he insults shy Stephanie, and suddenly finds himself popular. Ben, dealing with the loss of his parents, threatens at a party to go postal, but is talked out of his despair by Goth-worshipping Kam. There are many other plots and subplots from there, until the nearly-neatly untangled conclusion.
The strongest of an impressive cast are Joel Cooney, Daniel Brodie, Kiara Duran, Andy Rice, Arthur Trout, and Lucinda Stewart. Each takes on their distinctive roles believably, and rarely stumbled through some of their soliloquies and chatty scenes. As nebulous Mark, Mr. Cooney is likeable and interesting, holding our attention during his two longish monologues. Mr. Brodie avoids stereotypes with his portrayal of nebbishy Patrick, whose character undergoes a metamorphosis for greater good by the end of the play. As shy Stephanie, Ms. Duran remains aloof without disappearing into the woodwork. As flaky actor-wannabee Jacob, Mr. Trout goes over-the-top to entertain, though in a way believable to attention-starved performers. Ms. Stewart's portrayal of Kam is downplayed, though she shines during her final scene while trying to talk a despondant Ben out of doing something stupid, and plays her own realizations from the incident well. Finally, impressive in his small role as the lone African American, Desmond, Andy Rice gives two integral monologues about racism that have the intensity of a Sermon on the Mount.
The set was functional, and Jonathan Bowersock's lighting was generally effective, although his light show at the start of the play, as well as the ground-pounding musical interlude, were overblown and a bit unnecessary, though their intensity established the tone of the production.
Mr. Ruth takes on many important topics in an epic way, and
while his script is badly in need of editing, the evening does
have several very dramatic moments which are impressive considering
the age of author and actors. It can be hoped that with the right
direction and supervision, many of the participants of The
Bentley Microcosm will represent the new wave of theatre
in the Valley of the Sun.
Production Details:
The Bentley Microcosm by Joshua T. Ruth
Third Street Theatre, Phoenix
234-3225
January 9th-January 18th, 1998