Review: "The Book Of Liz" Albright Theatre, Batavia IL 4/23/10

Take my advice:  stop reading this and make reservations to see The Book Of Liz before the current run ends (05/08/2010).  Click here to go to the The Albright Theatre web site ticket information page.  Call the number shown and make the reservation.  I'll wait for you.


You're back?  Made the reservation?  Good.  You're in for a treat.  Truly.  I'm not shilling for the theatre.  I just don't want you to pass on the opportunity to see a rarely done play that's done extremely well.  This 90-minutes of fun is worth seeing.  You have two more weeks.


Four actors play 15 different characters in this wry, sarcastic and often scathing look at our undaunted devotion to all things Americana, along with blind faith, 12-step programs and the overabundance of clichéd platitudes that have become the fundamental philosophies of modern life.  Written by The Talent Family (David and Amy Sedaris), the dialog is crisp, sharp and biting, the characters are marvelously drawn and the storyline is wonderfully twisted.


If you really want plot details, click here and read a synopsis on a web site of a west coat theatre group that did the show a few years ago.  As I've mentioned before, it's never a matter of what the show is about, it's a matter of how it is about it.


Heidi Swarthout plays the titular character Liz.  Actually, she's Sister Elizabeth Donderstock of a religious sect known as the Squeamish, who feels she's unappreciated by the group, even though she did create the recipe for the cheese balls that are the big income-producers for their tourist trade.  Heidi portrays doe-eyed innocence and fish out of water confusion with great skill.  Her ability to let us see Liz quickly run the gamut from confounded to realization to knowledge gives depth to our understanding of the journey she is on.  Ok, it's a really strange journey, but she keeps us with her along the way.


She is supported by three of the best character actors I've seen in local theatre.  Their ability to turn off one personality and turn on another within seconds is amazing. This is an ensemble piece, episodically structured, and requires deft timing and acting to compliment the quick sketch comedy feel of the show.  Because it's a series of rapid scenes, the actors need to be able to jump in and out of different characters, preferably without relying on the tired "wacky voice" method.  If done well, the actors will adopt vocal rhythms and physicality specific to each character, and exaggerate them to develop real and full personalities during the scant moments they have on stage.  This ensemble accomplishes that from start to finish.


Tim Lieske paints his main character, Brother Nathaniel Brightbee, with the superficial charisma and charm one associates with most religious zealots. His handling of his other characters displays a colorful palette of talent.


The leader of the Squeamish is Reverend Tollhouse, played by John Dryden. He presents sanctimony and religious ambiguity with assuredness and his ability to move from one character to another is nimble and agile.  He doesn't short-change any of his roles, fleshing out each with wonderful human traits.


Maureen Morley plays Sister Constance Butterworth and a slew of other characters, including Oxana, the Cockney-accented Ukranian.  Each of her persona are deep and spot on.  Watch her face, and you can see her playing each moment with intensity.  A slight raised brow, or a hinted smile, speak volumes and give her characters a richness one always hopes to find.  She is simply a joy to watch.


All are to commended for their physical spryness also.  Quick changes off stage seem effortless, with one actor leaving stage left, and then magically appearing stage right as another character.  There were a couple of scene changes that felt long, but I'll put that down to opening night glitches.  Each actor was right on with cues, the pacing was exciting, and lines came out in seeming effortlessness.  Only one suggestion:  the lighting in the scenes played on the floor off in front of the stage seemed to come from the instruments kitty-corner to the action and only lit people from one side, making them look flat.  If there's room on the dimmers, they might want to consider adding another instrument or two to fill in the wash.


Kudos to director Lori Holm for presenting this strange and wonderful piece, and for never letting it get out of hand (it could easily go that way).  She kept the actors on task to communicate this delicious example of sardonic writing and elicited great performances from this very talented group of actors.  And, kudos to Albright Theatre for presenting this little-known comic gem.


Price:  $13
Worth: $18 - $20


Run time:  1 hour 30 minutes with intermission