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Desire Under the Elms Also see John's recent review of Let's just get this point across right now, Eugene O'Neill was one kinky playwright! After watching the opening night performance of his play Desire Under the Elms at WaterTower Theatre, I wanted to take a bath because I felt a little dirty! Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that in a bad way. I am always saying how I want theatre to move me, to educate me, to cause some emotion or reaction from me through what is unfolding on the stage in front of me, and this production certainly did. Desire Under the Elms is set at the Cabot farm in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee in 1888. In its original production and conception, O'Neill had the play set in Massachusetts in 1850 with the actors speaking in New England dialects, but here Director Terry Martin moves the piece to the rugged mountains of 1888 Tennessee with southern dialect, and you know what? It works perfectly in this new "theme" as it were. The Cabot home is loaded with dysfunctional overlays. You have an old, crusty, religious fanatic Master of the Cabot family: Ephraim (Chris Messersmith) and his three sons, Peter (Dan Burkarth), Simeon (Donald McDonald), and Eben (Thom Penn). This old and very bitter man brings home a new bride, Abbie (Morgana Shaw). Before there was already a slew of issues and problems within the Cabot clan, but with daddy bringing home a new mother, well, let's just say this new "problem" brings the Cabot family down to its foundation. Having seen Director Martin's previous productions that involve his directing tasks and technique, I am just amazed at how he continues to find new and fresh ways to create moods, themes, and interesting visuals from both his actors and designers. I can always spot true "collaboration" between a director and his designers because their talents and theatrical craft always meld to create one perfect moment or evening of theatre, and Martin and his WaterTower staff again succeed here with blazing colors. The set by Jarrett Bertoncin is designed as a multi - level central piece, with ramps coming from all ends, but no walls. There are windows suspended on the various "floors" of the Cabot home, and two grey, old massive columns on either side of this bizarre, yet fun and odd geometric set. But the most impressive pieces of Bertoncin's set design are the elm limbs and branches that are built above the set, and one huge massive clump of branches and limbs at the back of the set. These "trees" lurch over the actors, casting shadows and creating delicious levels of subtext and symbolism for the audience to explore. I am beginning to find that WaterTower just might have the best lighting designers in the metroplex. David Natinsky's design of light is breathtaking. His use of gobos and special gels to create images of trees and limbs that cover the stage add so much to the piece. But it's his use of solid colors and specials that light various aspects of the stage or actors to symbolize the acting or emotion of the scene that deserves special applause. Example: When Abbie (Shaw) speaks in the dining room about her past life and how she came to the Cabot farm, the lighting surrounds the dining room in blood red, which is superb foreshadowing of what will come later. Also, Natinsky's use of various yellows and oranges to show sweat soaked sun is worthy of pure appreciation. Director Martin uses these design (including the tattered and simplistic, yet perfect to period costumes by Dallas Costume Shoppe) to his advantage. I really respect a director who knows how to use every inch of his set, to create scenes and emotions from blocking is hard to achieve, but to Martin it seems to be second nature. His ability to have his actors in a "moment" with the blocking giving it an added subtext that is really exciting to watch. I am a major fan of symbolistic blocking. By that I mean the blocking gives you hidden layers of what that character's actions or motives are - they are not saying it in the dialogue, but the director gives you a hint in the blocking. I love that stuff, and Martin is a master of this craft. The performances, for the most part, are excellent, but sadly a couple are just not matching the tempos of the others on the stage and a few transitions are not clean enough. While I did enjoy Dan Burkarth and Donald McDonald as the two older brothers of the Cabot home, I just felt they didn't really dig deep enough into their characterizations. They did not seem to play off each other as well as the other actors did. Both actors tended to play the "country hick" dialect a little stronger that the rest of the cast, thus making their characters inch closer and closer toward caricatures. Both actors start the play, and their pace was just too slow; it felt sluggish at times. I think if they tone the dialect down and find the subtext of their roles they will match the other three performers. Now, as for Thom Penn and Morgana Shaw, both gave tour de force performances. In any theatre piece, chemistry between actors is often difficult to establish. The actors need to really show us, the audience, that there is "something" there, and that the "acting ball of energy" is being tossed between them. Penn and Shaw not only have that superb chemistry, but not once did they drop the ball. When these two kiss and lust for each other, it is realistic and at times erotic which works beautifully for the piece. Penn plays Eben brilliantly with dark pathos and heartfelt sadness for the loss of his mother. You really feel his pain at not having his mother around, but you also feel the burning hatred toward his father for making her work so hard on the farm (which caused her death). For most of the evening Penn delivers an outstanding performance, though his transition in two scenes fell a little short. As an actor, I know that opening night with an audience for the first time brings odd and new aspects that were missing when you rehearsed for a month or so, so I know that you need a couple of more performances under your belt to get some of these transitions clean, and I am sure Penn will resolve this quickly. But overall he gives a heartbreaking performance. Morgana Shaw (Abbie) delivers a slithering, calculating, back stabbing, evil, dripping in southern sex, cold blooded performance that is electrically charged with eroticism that leaves you speechless. Shaw may look tiny and demure in body, but the woman is a cobra! She gives her character dark overtones of sexuality that go against society, but she knows that Abbie does not give a damn; she gets what she wants, and Shaw makes sure you are aware of it! Shaw's character apex is the strongest of the cast and she knows just when to start sliding down that apex with her brava performance. Her transitions were perfect and her ability to show motherly love in one scene, and then a cat in heat out on a bench in the next, is a feast for any theatregoer that just enjoys damn, good solid acting. Ms. Shaw truly gives the best performance of the evening. Chris Messersmith as Ephraim completes the trio of outstanding performances of the evening. Any actor that makes the audience squirm when he reaches out to Shaw's Abbie to make love deserves kudos! Messersmith's dedication to characterization is remarkable. His Ephraim has an odd and stiff walk that causes him to shuffle, but also his hands and arms have odd tics and twitches that add more wonderful visuals to his characterization. His scenes with Shaw are just a marvel to watch unfold on the stage. Both actors play off each other with pure professionalism. What I really enjoyed the most in this product was the way Shaw, Penn, and Messersmith all played off each other throughout the evening. They really gave each other great reaction and subtext acting that you could see unfold on the stage. All three actors truly showed the art of "reacting" in the acting technique. Desire Under the Elms has some sexual twists and turns and a horrible act of passion in act two that leaves you feeling uncomfortable for having ever visited the Cabot Farm for the evening, and I mean that in a good way! Director Martin, his wizard designers, and his actors have cleaned the cobwebs and moths of this very old O'Neill play and gave it a revival that will become a major highlight of WaterTower's current season. Desire Under the Elms runs through May 5 at the WaterTower Theatre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison TX, 75001. For tickets, call 972-450-6232 or visit www.watertowertheatre.org/ Directed by Terry Martin *Cast* Eben Cabot - Thom Penn |
