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Originally posted on October 25, 2006
Special to news-press.com
There's a lot of talking in "Oleanna."
Reams of it, in fact.
But for all those words flying back and forth like gunshots,
few of them actually seem to hit home.
These characters aren't communicating; they're talking toward
each other. And that becomes brutally obvious later.
Director Kristen Coury has called "Oleanna" a thinker.
And she wasn't kidding. After seeing the play Monday, I found
myself pondering it throughout the night.
This is Gulfshore Playhouse's first full production in Southwest
Florida, and it's certainly a brave choice. You don't see
this kind of philosophical drama performed much here.
The David Mamet play examines the ideas of communication and
power — in particular, the power between men and women,
teachers and students.
Professor John Haverty starts out with all the power, especially
over his cowering students. Then he meets the frazzled Carol,
and things start to change.
Carol wants to discuss her failing grade, and John takes pity.
In an attempt to reach her, he expounds on the inadequacies
of higher education, tells an off-color story to illustrate
a point and — when she starts crying hysterically —
reaches out and hugs her.
It's all innocent and professional, John believes. But Carol
sees it differently.
She accuses him of sexual harassment. And worse.
This is actor Alan Campbell's second crack at the professor.
The Tony Award-nominee played the strutting, self-absorbed
John in Coury's Raleigh, N.C., production, and it shows. His
character feels comfortable and lived-in, a pompous professor
with a capital "P."
As the dim Carol, actress Aurora Nessly has some catching
up to do. Her performance occasionally rings hollow —
although the blame partly goes to the difficult script.
Mamet's lightning-fast words are almost like Shakespeare —
they need a musical flow to make them work. Unfortunately,
Campbell and Nessly don't always have that rhythm. And their
exchanges — especially in the first act — can
feel stagey and unnatural.
That being said, Nessly is still a strong actor, and she conveys
a world of information through body language, from her furrowed
brow to her uncertain posture.
And later, after Carol files a formal complaint, the change
is obvious. She stands straighter, speaks more confidently.
This isn't that same agitated girl from act one. She has power
now.
"I don't want revenge," Carol says. "I want
understanding."
Tragically, that understanding can be hard to come by —
especially between two people this bad at communicating.
Despite its flaws, "Oleanna" remains a powerful,
engrossing drama. And it's stunning climax left my jaw hanging.
Coury says Gulfshore Playhouse (part of the planned Estero-on-the-River
project) will stage two or three shows a year — with
or without its own building. And that's great news for fans
of challenging, yet entertaining, theater.
I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
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