Reviewed 11/26/05
It’s a step up for Mesa Encore Theatre as they move into their tony new space at the Mesa Arts Center. Will a posh new address for this eternal community theater mean higher standards all around? Their production of Mary Chase’s wistful 40s comedy Harvey is the bellwether. They have chosen one of those nearly indestructible scripts that have been the staple of theatres such as theirs, and by tapping a veteran director (Bryanna Patrick-Tauscher) and casting long-time Valley comedian and actor Matthew Cary as the inimitable Elwood P. Dowd, they’ve given themselves a boost. While the ensemble is a bit unbalanced and the set by JR Designs seems a little beyond their control, the final product is a solid first step forward.
Chase’s script examines the line between insanity and
eccentricity. Elwood (Cary) is an easygoing, outdated fellow with one small
quirk: His best friend is a six-foot invisible rabbit named Harvey. His sister
Veta (Janis
Webb), niece Myrtle Mae (Asheley Hu), and their friend
Judge Gaffney (Bob Nimlo) want to commit him to Chumley’s
(Don Crosby) Rest Home. Through a mix-up, Nurse Kelly (Melissa
Moses) and young psychologist Dr. Sanderson (Joel Cranson)
mess up the commitment process. As the Rest Home’s bouncer Duane (Mark
Urias) wrestles the wrong person into the padded cell, Dr. Chumley
starts to wonder just whether the world might actually be big enough to hold
the mischievous pooka.
While Cary is the center of the bizarre proceedings, this play is definitely a group effort. Cary is amiable, easygoing, if not exactly dynamic, and brings a natural gentility to his performance that really could use a few vocal or physical ticks to make Elwood more human. But he’s more referred to than onstage, and it’s up to people like Webb, Hu, Cranson, Moses, Urias, and Crosby who must fill in the rest. For the balance, the play is in good hands. Webb has taken a page from the Margaret Dumont School of Acting, using a haughty voice and exaggerated motions to portray this grand dame. For the most part, it is successful. Hu, on the other hand, has turned Myrtle Mae into a menagerie of facial ticks; this character doesn’t need to be subtle, but less scenery chewing would be nice. Cranson and Moses play to each other, but only Cranson can propel his character consistently over the footlights. Moses seems more to recite her lines than respond. Urias is not the first natural choice for Wilson, but as he rumbles through the role, the choice proves to be inspired. He is a lovable brute, and shows good comedic timing. Crosby is equally as funny as the first-stuffy-then-haunted Chumley, playing a character arc with an understanding of pathos.
The unwieldy two-location set looked pretty good, but was overbuilt and hard to convert between scenes. Bob Nelson’s lighting changes tended to call much too much attention to themselves, swapping colors to fit moods too obviously. Patricia and Travis Tonzi’s costumes generally fit the period and character.
Though Patrick-Tauscher’s blocking seemed jumpy and the stage pictures she created tended to be uninspired, the pacing proved consistent. As I left their nice new theatre, I saw definite signs that moving in indeed means moving up for MET.
