Reviewed 11/11/05
As a pleasant break from the roll call of classic musicals, Phoenix Theatre is mounting a classic drama, William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Picnic. A controversial, ground-breaking play in 1953, the story examines the effects on a claustrophobic shared back yard in a small Kansas town of a wild card, in this case the hunky drifter Hal (Donal Thoms-Cappello). Directed by Karla Koskinen, who helmed last season’s wonderful ensemble effort, Mornings at Seven, she has shown that her ability to balance an ensemble is one of her consistent strengths. The piece flows smoothly, drawing to its inevitabilities strongly and steadily. However, where there were no notable performance flaws in her previous production, here there are definitely highlights and limitations in her cast. The few problems there are do not threaten to take down the show, but they do keep it from becoming as powerful as it might have been.
Robyn Allen and Maria Amorocho are as strong as ever. Both of these actresses have been consistent in their offerings for the last few seasons, and they have learned to live their characters. As Flo, Allen is able to avoid the potential pitfall of becoming overly dramatic as she first pushes her daughter Madge (Katie Olsen) into a social climbing match and then does everything she can to ensure its success. Instead, her character arc is as natural as Amorocho’s growing desperation in trapping her beau Howard (Robert Holt) into a match to avoid becoming the old maid to which she half-jokingly refers to herself. The consistency of these actresses is exemplary.
Holt, Razel Wolf as next-door neighbor Mrs. Potts, and Brad Grubenhoff’s Allan, the match Flo is forcing on Madge, are all very consistent. Holt has a few dramatic moments in the first act and comedic ones in the second during which he does an excellent job. Wolf captures the dragging desperation of Mrs. Potts, while Grubenhoff makes Allan the kind of All American boy who is sweeter than he is inspiring. Particularly good is Erin Singleton in her role as younger, smarter, plainer daughter Millie. This is a character who could become whiny and too extreme, but Singleton plays her with an earnestness that makes it easy to empathize with her.
The only disappointment of this generally strong cast is the star-crossed
couple. Olsen, who has proven herself an adept musical theatre actress, here
consistently flashes to a certain mooning gaze for Millie that attempts to
show her longing, but begins to look like the expression one expects from an
actress about to sing a longing solo. Thoms-Cappello is a handsome lad, and
does have a few more emotional offerings in his presentation, but skirts dangerously
close to stereotypical as he fumbles around the members of this social class
that look down upon him. There are a few moments, though, when giving poignant
monologues about his life that he commands the stage. However, these are balanced
by his interaction with Olsen, lustily heated exchanges a bit too romance novel-esque
compared to the remainder of the production.
Jim Hunter has put together a very impressive set that is just realistic enough but has its theatricality, too. Even more impressive is his lighting, which is so lush, it almost becomes its own character. Gail Wolfenden-Steib’s costumes are accurate in period and personality, and Nick Dressler’s sound design does nice work with the ambient sounds of the show.
There is a lot to like about this Picnic. The strong performances and heartbreaking script make for a worthy evening of theatre.
