Arizona Jewish Theatre Company, in a co-production with Tucson's Invisible Theatre, is presenting the first script of playwright Jeff Baron. On the surface, it seems like a Jewish take on the Tuesdays with Morrie concept. However, Baron has enough twists to avoid direct comparisons. In Visiting Mr. Green, Ross has been sentenced to community service after nearly hitting Mr. Green with his car. The sentence means that he must come to the victim's apartment every Thursday to take care of him. The concept is a little hackneyed, but it serves to bring together two Jews, one an older, strict conservative who follows teachings a little too closely, and a younger man who is trying to balance his beliefs with modern situations. Each one, resentfully at first, eventually learns from the other. Some of the humor is at the expense of the forgetfulness of Mr. Green, and gets old after awhile. The play itself is nothing earth shattering, though it does make for an enjoyable evening. The level of enjoyment is definitely raised by the performances in the production.
Directors Susan Claassen and Gail Fitzhugh have allowed the piece to move at a pleasant pace, though the scene changes feel too long, and the original music by Jill Jaffe that covers them is repetitious. The directors have utilized the stage to create interesting designs and views.
Edwin Van Woert and Dana Jepsen buy into the piece completely, increasing the believability of some of the more predictable and textually forced moments. Their reactions to the other's hidden surprises are genuine. Though a little spry for 84, Van Woert avoids playing older, and is enjoyable to watch. Jepsen, too, avoids stereotypes, which makes revelation of his situations that much more surprising. They take their time with the piece, and test each other's characters substantially.
James Blair's scenic design recreates an apartment in Manhattan's upper west side faithfully, and Michael Eddy's lighting design is very effective. Jessica Willis' costumes are good, and Classen and Fitzhugh's sound design is solid.
The script is pretty straight forward and plucks at a couple of heartstrings along the way. AJTC and IT have given it a faithful staging. It's the actors, though, who move it out of the realm of the ordinary, and increase the value of this production.
Production Details:
Visiting Mr. Green by Jeff
Baron
Arizona Jewish Theatre
Company
The Viad Playhouse on the Park, Phoenix (For a map to this location, click
here)
(602) 264-0402
April 20th - May 5th, 2002