(out of 
)It seems the need to express oneself theatrically is universal, even if the way in which it is expressed is varied. Theatre comes in all forms, and uses all types of sources to invent and reinvent itself. Books become plays, movies become plays, and sometime even both at once. In this case, the author of the book for the famed musical Man of La Mancha has drawn on a novel and a movie to create his take on the factual story of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Unfortunately, this is a case of mistaken identity, since the play is not as good as either source. There must've been a reason why Ken Kesey chose to turn his story into a novel. There was good reason to turn that gripping, best-selling novel into a movie to disseminate the story to a larger audience. Why Mr. Wasserman thought to turn this highly charged, emotional work into a play script is anyones guess. It is with this weak script, containing quite a few changes from the original story, that Desert Stages Theatre begins.
Desert Stages is best known for their children's theatre productions, but Gerry and Laurie Cullity, the producers and director of this piece have decided to broaden the theatre's horizons. They have recently produced shows like Nunsense and Lost In Yonkers. They have taken on this show, probably inappropriate for children, and put together a wildly mismatched cast of valley theatre veterans and theatre neophytes, including some high school age young adults. The audience on the night of the show was nearly half prepubescent, all prone to laughing at inappropriate points. The result was a surrealistic and wildly uneven evening of theatre that had occasional solid theatrical moments and many painful and embarassing moments all mixed into one.
The theatre space itself is a small one, necessitating the use of a theatre-in-the-round format, a difficult choice that, if directed correctly, could actually have been very powerful. Unfortunately, none of Mr. and Ms. Cullity's staging utilized this potentially impressive technique, seemingly unsure of whether to use the in-your-face possibilities available.
There were a few solid performances. Of the leads, only Laura Durant's evil Nurse Ratched even came close to her character. The normally amazing Ms. Durant seemed a bit preoccupied during the performance; still Ms. Durant at 80 percent is better than other actors at 120 percent. In the supporting cast, Matthew Cary played the former patient leader Harding quite well, and used subtlety where others in the cast used obviousness. Amazing in his small role was Kenny Brodie. His portrayal of Martini, the child-like repeater of the group was dead on. Barry Siegwart as Scanlon, and Steve Galindo as Cheswick also had their moments of insane lucidity. The performances from there, though, are the buckshot that knocked this Cuckoo from the sky.
In the main role of McMurphy, Dean Morrissey commendably attempted to give the character his own spin, meticulously avoiding a Nicholson impersonation. The problem though, was that his portrayal made McMurphy a southern-fried biker, a choice that seemed inappropriate from his first rebel yell war-whoop. As the powerful but beaten-down Chief Bromden, Brad Dirksen looked the role, ignoring the heavy coat of tan greasepaint slathered on his face and arms, but seemed ill-at-ease as his character came alive later in the show. As the ill-fated, stuttering Billy, Shawn Saavedra also looked the meek, beaten-down man-child, but seemed to focus more on stammering than characterization. The rest of the cast seemed better suited for a junior high school production. A perfect example of this was Matthew Deitch as as the catatonic patient, Ruckley, who gargled, jabbered and drooled at the appropriate moments, then had the audacity to drop the catatonia like a cheap Halloween mask and watch the show when he wasn't the center of attention.
This seems to be a standard refrain, but community theatre
serves a need in the theatrical community. It is commendable when
companies go against the odds and mount solid productions. It
shouldn't be surprising, though, when all of the insurmountable
odds take their toll. Desert Stages Theatre has some potential,
and perhaps with the right material, could finally overcome those
odds.
Production Details:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Dale Wasserman
Desert Stages Theatre, 8473 E. McDonald Dr., Scottsdale
483-1664
May 30th-June 27th, 1997