I'm keeping this brief. Those who follow me on Twitter already know how I felt about these shows. But my heart is not in it to write reviews of two shows that I didn't care for and one that I enjoyed. I did, however, get press tickets to all three, so I have to do something. Right now, I'm thinking I'll just send them money in the mail.
The shows are, in order of seeing them, Bonhoeffer's Cost presented by Provision Theater (click here for info), Incorruptible at Wheaton Drama Inc (clickety-click)., and How The Other Half Loves, produced by Independent Players in Elgin.
Bonhoeffer's Cost is based on the true story of a minister who was involved in two assassination plots against Hitler. It is told through a series of flashbacks after his imprisonment and it's another interesting human story about WWII. Bonhoeffer must balance out his Christianity with his participation in acts that would end a human life. He struggles. And struggles. And struggles some more, until the show becomes an endless series of scenes about his struggling until he is put to death. And that is not a spoiler I just threw at you, because his death is discussed in the director's notes in the program. Oh sure, there were a few comic moments with the prison guard who is played so callow and shallow that he kept reminding me of Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heroes and a Nazi interrogator that lacked any menace because he was played with stereotypical lip-snarling menace. He actually utters the line, "Nobody kills themselves on my watch." Those Nazis certainly had a way with modern lingo. Sadly, the show needs to decide what it's going to be, because they threw everything into this 165 minute presentation.
It comes down to this: the show is too damn long and could easily be cut down to 2 hours with intermission. It's the world premier of the play, co-written by director Timothy Gregory and screen writer Mary Ruth Clarke. It needs some serious cutting. Had this been a film, it would be all over the editing room floor, and many scenes would be in montage. They have the makings of something here, but they are going to have to search through the extraneous to get to the core.
Incorruptible also suffers from a case of not knowing what it wants to be. Is it a comedy or a morality parable? It tried to be both and they play against themselves. I will say upfront that I am not a fan of the script. Not because of the subject matter, which is based on a real feud between a couple of French monasteries and the scandalous practice making "relics" out of nothing. It has to do with how the script goes about it. I didn't find it all that amusing. I thought it tried too hard to be funny, while at the same time making sure it was covering its backside with heavy layers of piety and moral sermonizing. Much of this can be overcome. The cast had adequate acting chops to pull it off, but I thought director Tom Walker didn't strike the necessary balance between silly and serious. The comedy must support the message rather then the message being tacked onto the comedy. Those who still wander about aimlessly looking to relive the glory days of 70s collegiate speech competitions will recognize the concept of "serious point" in comedy. Point is not locus; it is focus. And they say Latin is dead.
How The Other Half Loves is playing at Elgin Arts Showcase. It was directed by Larry Boller and is the single ray of light that made being an audience member an enjoyable experience. It held my interest, made me laugh and entertained. I never checked the clock in anticipation of the end. Yes, it could tighten up the cues and pick-up the pace a few times. Still, it's engaging. The staging is creative as it intertwines the story of two couples, who are intertwined personally. It has all the trappings of British farce beautifully executed. It's not Ray Cooney. These are all good things. So is the cast. The best part was the performance of Doug Orlyk, who is totally immersed in his character. He has all the right nuance and skill to bring this character to life. See it for that alone.
OK, the slate is clear for now. Looking over it, I was too nice to the first two shows, and I have short changed the last one. It deserves more. It's a good show.
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