Phoenix Theatre's Never the Sinner
(out
of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 11/6/98
(out
of )Phoenix Theatre is at it again. Following their splashy fall musical, they have scheduled a dark drama of impressive scope and daringness. Kudos go to Artistic and Production Director Michael D. Mitchell for taking the risk of alienating some of their entertainment-driven subscription base by offering a textually challenging and visually precise production. My greatest fear is that people who are easily put off by the themes of John Logan's Never the Sinner (murder, capital punishment, and homosexuality) will not give this wonderful production a chance, and force Mr. Mitchell to rethink his policy of mixing seasons with the commercial and the challenging.
Never the Sinner is a precise-yet-experimental retelling
of the sensational Chicago-based Leopold and Loeb murder trial
of the '20s. This trial has been the basis of many plays and movies,
including the thinly-veiled and historically inaccurate play and
movie Rope.
In it, we see intellectual, bored socialites and lovers Nathan
Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb from their first encounter through
their hideous murder of Loeb's cousin "to see if it could
be done" up to their sentencing. The play raises many questions
of morality, but ultimately, it is concerned with capital punishment,
as famed defense lawyer Clarence Darrow argues against putting
the boys to death in the face of a great public outcry for their
hanging.
Mr. Mitchell has done an outstanding job, both in casting the
show and in presentation. His use of a Brechtian style of presentation
and visualization is extremely effective, and while remaining
theatrical, also aids in the emotional development of what could
be a cold and distancing play. With one exception, the cast is
also extremely effective, and make their characters utterly three
dimensional and completely believable.
As the murderous duo, Jere Luisi and Joel David Maurice
are impeccable. Their rise and fall, and their intricate relationship,
is masterfully handled in a way that allows sympathy for initially
unsympathetic characters. Mr. Maurice is smarmily charming, but
his metamorphosis is remarkable to watch. Mr. Luisi is textually
given less chance to show his emotional and moral change, but
is every bit as effective as Mr. Maurice, a coup for this talented
actor.
Equally as effective and impressive in characterization and deed
is Richard Glover as defense attorney Clarence Darrow,
who doesn't even speak until the waning minutes of the first act,
yet manages to deliver several potent monologues and exchanges
that make his prior silence even more effective. Mr. Glover does
such an amazing job in naturally recreating Darrow's nonchalance,
down-home ways, and eloquence as to literally become the great
attorney before the audience's eyes.
As the several background characters, Johnny Altus Nicholson,
Darren Goad and Laura Durant become three separate
people apiece, and may as well be nine different actors for the
price of three. Particularly effective is Ms. Durant during her
portrayal of Loeb's sometime girlfriend, Germaine, who delivers
a poignant and emotionally effective cross-examination in the
second act.
The only disappointment for an otherwise impressive production
is the indescribably ineffective performance of Mark Collver
as prosecuting attorney Robert Crowe. Mr. Collver, perhaps in
part at Mr. Mitchell's request, is too nebbishy and awkward, not
allowing his character to be a worthy adversary for Mr. Glover's
Darrow. The result is a weakened argument for capital punishment,
where the more difficult a challenge Mr. Collver's character offered
to Darrow, the more impressive his eloquent closing summation
would have been.
Visually, Mr. Mitchell has asked Scenic Designer Evan Alexander
and Lighting Designer Paul A. Black to create the stage
in the style of the sparse De Stijl Dutch art movement,
and the result is stark and yet fluidly effective for all of the
various setting and emotional situations. D.I. Johnson's
Music and Sound Design was equally up to the challenge, and all
of the musical choices are hauntingly effective. Gail Wolfenden-Steib's
costumes are also perfectly chosen for the characters.
As in last season's darkly depressing but impressive production
of Ghetto,
Mr. Mitchell and Phoenix Theatre are stretching their artistic
wings, and offering audiences shows that would ordinarily never
be seen in the Valley. I applaud these worthy attempts, and implore
Mr. Mitchell that, no matter how many fewer seats this slot fills
in comparison to the older and more established productions in
the schedule, to keep broadening the minds and visions of his
theatre's subscribers year after year. He will reap the benefits
of a more refined subscription base in the long run.
Production Details:
Never the Sinner
by John Logan
Phoenix Theatre, Phoenix
254-2151
November 6th-November 21st, 1998