THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS
AIRDATE: May 14, 2004
Age, youth and artistic inspiration. In
one play, an elder inspires inadvertently. In another, a teacher pushes his
student so hard, disappointment is inevitable. There wouldn't seem to be much
commonality between a work by the prototypically American David Mamet and the
quintessentially South African Athol Fugard. But both Mamet's dark-toned
comedy, "A Life in the Theatre," and Fugard's drama, "The Road
to Mecca," shine a light on the power of art. Mamet's central characters
are actors in a repertory company. Fugard's are an aging Afrikaner and a young
teacher. Both protégés are awe-struck at first, but the relationships change
dramatically over time.
In Mamet's bittersweet 1977 comedy, we
get a backstage view of a rising star and a falling one. The older man,
covetous of his subordinate's possessions, energy, friends and youth,
constantly berates and pontificates, dispensing endless advice about stagecraft
and life. The younger actor starts out deferential. But as his confidence
increases, he grows in stature, even as his teacher crumbles. At the North Coast
Repertory Theatre, artistic director David Ellenstein has created an impeccable
production. Jonathan McMurtry was born to play this role, which he did a dozen
years ago with Ellenstein as his foil. Now Francis Gercke, artistic director of
New Village Arts, is the perfect age and temperament for the task. Each gives
an outstanding, finely etched performance, providing nuance, flavor and a
stirring emotional journey.
An equally balanced twosome takes the
stage in 6th @ Penn's intimate production of Fugard's 1985 drama,
set in the Karoo desert. Miss Helen, an elderly widow,
has adorned her garden with an odd assortment of sparkling sculptures created
from broken glass, cement and a strong sense of independence. She has turned
away from her church to fashion her own image of Paradise. But the real Road to
Mecca is in Helen's mind. Her fierce spirit, even in the face of ostracism, has
intrigued and inspired young Elsa, who also defends the browbeaten blacks of
her country. Fugard juxtaposes freedom and constraint, trust and love, religion
and art, the waning of independence and creativity with age. Under the
direction of Patrick Stewart and in the hands of the formidable Priscilla Allen
and the adorable Jessica John, these two fascinating women fight for the right to live life on their own terms. Ralph
Johnson stalwartly plays the small-minded, mixed-motive pastor who's trying to
put Helen away in a nursing home; her flouting of expectations poses a threat
to the fabric of the community.
However
disparate, these plays examine art, craft and creative spirit. In these
anti-intellectual times, when art is viewed as frivolous or superfluous,
dramatic reflection on the artistic life is itself an inspired act.
©2004
Patté Productions Inc.