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Arts: A Nice Try

By Abby Freedman

Aug 29, 2002 -- ACT Theatre’s halls are bedecked with garland and veritable oodles of paper snowflakes, all in honor of its latest piece Wintertime, by Charles Mee. The set design is immaculate, with a snowy landscape and several lanky birches adorning the stage. The actors are talented, with good chemistry and terrific comedic timing. Unfortunately, all of ACT’s talent cannot quite overcome a script that founders in the second half.

First on the stage are Jonathan (Michael A. Newcomer) and Ariel (Sarah Grace Wilson), a couple so in love with each other that it spills out—at great length, in Ariel’s case—to the world around them. Despite her character’s strange, philosophical meanderings, Wilson’s provocative delivery is compelling, as one so head-over-heels that mere snow or a star can produce rhapsodies.

Unfortunately, the pair’s serenity is cut short when they discover the winter cottage they came for is not vacant. Instead, Jonathan’s mother Maria (Suzanne Grodner) is there, with her lover Francois (Daniel Oreskes). Then Jonathan’s father, Frank (Robert Dorfman), shows up with his lover Edmund (Timothy McCuen Piggee).

The first act rehashes all the recriminations that have clearly been boiling long before this meeting. Edmund and Francois are resentful that they always come second to the family, yet are kept strung along. Maria and Frank hypocritically despise each other’s philandering, yet neither cannot break off their need for the other. Jonathan, having grown up in this hideous atmosphere, is completely dysfunctional and soon accuses Ariel of infidelity, causing them to join the fray of feuding partners.

The first act is brilliant, achieving an acutely uncomfortable pitch worthy of Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The characters are drawn inextricably to one another in both love and hate. Worlds crumble and are rebuilt in a matter of minutes, exasperating the audience, as well as stringing it along for a grand, if uncomfortable, ride. The intricacy of the relationships proves that Mee has had time to ponder the immensity that is human relationships. The cast plays Mee’s notes of despair adroitly, with Piggee and Oreskes turning in particularly skilled performances, hitting perfectly the bittersweet notes of pain so that they resonate deep inside the viewers. The vehicle to these emotions is a sort of dialogue that, while unrealistically articulate and insightful, avoids becoming stilted—a measure of the actors’ talent, indeed.

The minor characters in this work should not be overlooked, as they provide an almost Greek-chorus-like overview of worldly themes on love and human interrelations. Laura Kenny as Hilda, an old, crotchety Bavarian who, I must say, has a great entrance, sits in judgment of these young people ready to throw away their hard-earned love. She has great monologues in which her charisma is so evident it bowls audience members over. Another amazing performance is by Paul Morgan Stetler, as Bob, a philosophical man who is obviously alone in the woods too often to suit his mental stability. Nonetheless, he offers wry observances on the human condition, along with several comedic moments that make the audience practically guffaw.

However, the second part of this piece flails about, uncertain of its course. The actors try their best to carry it along, with bright smiles, but the strain shows and even their talents cannot keep this work aloft. Everything is tied up rather neatly rather quickly, with a surprise resolution to a major woe that makes it feel uncomfortably like some sort of sitcom, rather than the amazing if painful drama promised in the first half. Some would say it is just a symptom of the post-modern playwright’s attempt at the strange, almost ludicrous—a way to startle the audience into realizations. But they would be making excuses for what was simply a bad choice by a good writer. In short, Mee cops out—though even without this cheesy change the play was getting bumpy. Instead of letting the story play out naturally, he introduces disaster as a way of getting everyone together, but it feels artificial and the dialogue never quite coalesces as a result.

Even as it ends, the play is an interesting attempt, though what exactly Mee was attempting is, by then, unclear. The first half is admirable and quite intoxicatingly painful, as when one has received a nasty cut and watches the blood rise to the surface, unable to look away out of sheer horror and amazement. The second is slow and with a completely different theme, with a pedantic, almost after-school-special air. The sneering hilarity is gone, the bittersweet, sardonic backlashes have all but disappeared. It is almost as though these two pieces have been written by two different authors.

It is for this reason that people should be wary of spending $35, unless they want to leave at halftime. The actors’ talents very nearly make it worth the money, but in the end audience members will leave vaguely unsatisfied, though they may be uncertain as to what was lacking, since by the end it is uncertain what the play is really about.

Wintertime plays at ACT Theatre through September 15.

Reader Comments

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Monique Siegers	Sep 12, 2003	Netherlands	Paul morgan Stetler
Paul Morgan Stetler is a good actor, especially in Phantasmagoria: a puzzle of flesh. Is there a biography of Paul Morgan Stetler? I like him very much, and I would like to know a few things about him, how old he is, if he's married or has a girlfriend, if he lives in Seattle, his history etc etc. Do you have contact with him? could he send me an e-mail? I'm deffently not a stalker or something like that, i'm just a fan who would love to know those things haha. well ok, i am a little in love with him. But I am also a fan of phantasmagoria, it's a great game! The last time I played the game was last week! I hope you can help me, and many thanks! I'll be waiting for a e-mail from you or from Paul. greetings Monique


Anonymous	Nov 30, 2003
Paul went to Los Alamitos High School. He got started acting at Oak Jr High from an enspiriring drama teacher Jack Schlaughter. I lost contact with paul after high school. btw: he was also a great wide receiver on the HS Football team.