Tom Stoppard is brilliant. His is a talent to create works that exist on a host of levels simultaneously. His detractors may call him cold, excessively erudite, or as the greatest slight, "clever," but his plays contain an emotional punch when you've gotten past wit of his words. His best work in my opinion is the somewhat autobiographical 1982 work, The Real Thing. After having been accused of only creating puzzling and theatrical plays, Stoppard silenced his critics by writing a work in which a clever playwright goes on a journey from innocence to experience. Lead character Henry is forced by circumstance to leave his stuffily ordered head and enter the terrifyingly emotional and disordered realm of the heart. This process is painful, occurring as it does in his life and art simultaneously, but makes him into a better artist and human being for it.
Actors Theatre of Phoenix and Director David Vining have moved this play onto Rosario Provenza's odd and interesting padded-walled unit living room set, and found a way to keep the blurred lines of theatrical and literal impressively expressed. The director and his designers, especially costumer Susan Johnson-Hood, have chosen to keep it in the late 70's/early 80's of the original without broadcasting this choice and making it into an obvious period piece. And Vining, a perfect choice to direct such a deeply layered text, has assembled a generally impressive cast to support this dense work.
At the center of this journey is Randy Messersmith's Henry. Messersmith embodies the character of the hyper-intelligent playwright, even as his accent flies at supersonic speeds back and forth across the Atlantic. Despite this technical hitch, he delivers Stoppards probing lines with vigor, and as his character descends into love's labors, he unravels and reassembles himself with complete believability. Countering him is lover Annie, played with energy and vivaciousness by Lara Macgregor. As the less verbose, more visceral character in a Stoppard play, Macgregor rings many true notes emotionally, speaking in a conversational way and giving expression to the basic levels of her character.
Cathy Dresbach's portrayal of soon-to-be-ex-wife Charlotte is harder to digest. While Charlotte and her caustic ways are the natural result of a long, intellectual marriage and bond with the initially clever Henry, Dresbach rarely reaches beneath the bite. Her only truly expressive moment comes near the end of the play, as she finally offers Henry the wisdom that will speed him to the messy climax. Ken Matthews' offering as Annie's next love interest, actor Billie, is full of vibrancy, yet he is very capable of switching to the classical style of his characters alter ego in Jacobean literature. Ben Tyler and Lauren Chapman do excellent turns in their cameo roles, while Ben Brittain impresses yet again with his ever-growing repertoire of performances in this small but vital role as a hero punk.
In this production, Vining, designers, and ensemble take this brilliant wordplay of an emotional journey and guide the audience through each witty and wrenching turn, never allowing us to miss meaning, subtext, allusion, and heartbreak. It's a wonderful evening of theatre when both heart and head can be so thoroughly tested and enjoyably entertained.
Production Details:
The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard
Actors Theatre of Phoenix
The Herberger Theater Center Stage West, Phoenix
(602) 252-8497
November 2nd - 18th, 2001