August: Osage County

Weathervane opens 78th season with intriguing AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

The Weston’s of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, give new meaning to the phrase dysfunctional family.

The dark comedy was developed at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and, after a strong run in the Windy City, came to Broadway in 2007, where it ran for 648 performances. The US national tour, which featured an amazing performance by Estelle Parsons, played in Cleveland. The script is so universal in its themes that it has been staged in such disparate settings as England, Israel, Puerto Rico, Australia, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

The story centers on Beverly Weston, an alcoholic, the family patriarch, and award winning poet, who-disappears. His wife, Violet, eats prescription drugs like they are popcorn. Her bossy sister, Mattie Fae, has a secret that is about to be revealed. Daughter Barbara’s marriage has fallen apart. Fourteen year-old granddaughter Jean is a secret pot smoker. Without knowing it, daughter Ivy is involved in an incestuous romance. Daughter Karen is engaged to a man with a questionable past and present. Before disappearing, Beverly hired Johnna, a native American, to be the family’s housekeeper, but why is a mystery. The Sheriff appears to reveal something. What? The answer is the pivotal plot device that sets AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY on its climactic and unnerving course.

It might not be so bad if the whole thing was made up. But the author admits that Violet, the vindictive, substance abusing mother, is based on his maternal grandmother, who he states, “was a piece of work.” When Letts gave the play to his mother to read, he was nervous, but her first response was, “I think you’ve been very kind to my mother.” Kind? Only if kind means Attila the Hun on meth!

The Weathervane production, under the sharp eye of Jacqi Loewy, is a well conceived community theatre level staging. The characters are clearly etched. Most of the emotional development shows clear motivation. There is a nice level of character development rather than actors just playing roles.

Alex Cikra walks the difficult line making Beverly Weston into a believable drunk. So often actors go too far, feigning slurring and unsteadiness. No such problem here, Cikra does drunk well.

Laura Stitt has the most difficult role of the three sisters, as she needs to be in emotional control almost throughout. She achieves the right levels of pathos and frustration. Tina Thompkins nicely underplays Johnna, the Native American housekeeper.

Tom Stephan portrays the henpecked Uncle Charlie, who morphs into a man with a backbone, effectively. Harriet DeVeto, as the pill popping Violet, the clans mother, is generally effective, though sometimes it is difficult to see her level of clarity versus drug induced stupor.

Alan Scott Ferrall’s set design is impressive. The three level set is era correct, realistic, and except for the difficulty for those in the first five or so rows to see the action on the highest level, works well.

Be aware, as the publicity and the play’s opening announcement reminds, that this is definitely a show for adults only, as the language is rough, with almost all four letter words repeated numerous time. This is not a script for the up-tight.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: The Weathervane production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is a well conceived community theatre level staging and well worth the drive to Akron.

Pippin

PIPPIN tries hard, but misses the message at Weathervane

To many people, Stephen Schwartz’s musical, PIPPIN, which is now in production at Weathervane Theatre, is a slight musical that is cute, harmless and a little bit naughty. To me, it is a story of meaning and significance. We observe as Pippin, a young prince, searches for purpose in his life. A life he wishes to be “something more than long.”

Schwartz’s music and lyrics paint a clear tale of Pippin as he searches for his “corner of the sky.” He doesn’t understand why, “I don't fit in anywhere I go?” He has daydreams, and perceives that “thunderclouds have their lightening” and “eagles belong where they can fly,” but he can’t seem to find purpose for his existence. He wants to go where his “spirit can run free.” This is heady stuff. And, if interpreted correctly by a director and a cast, there is a reverent, almost spiritual underbelly to the goings-on.

I agree with musical theatre scholar Scott Miller who, in From Assassins to West Side Story, stated, "PIPPIN is a largely under-appreciated musical with a great deal more substance to it than many people realize.”

The musical uses the premise of an acting troupe, led by a Leading Player, who tells the story of characters, based on real-life people who lived in the middle ages. Yes, there was a Pippin and a Charlemagne, but the images in Schwartz’s tale don’t have much historical accuracy.

The show opened on Broadway in 1972, played almost 2000 performances, and at present ranks as the 30th longest-running Big Apple show, exceeding SOUTH PACIFIC, MARY POPPINS and HAIR. It starred Ben Vereen as the Leading Player, Jonathan Rubenstein as Pippin, Jill Clayburgh as Catherine (the female love interest), and Irene Ryan as Berthe (Pippin’s outlandish grandmother).

The wonderful score includes: Corner of the Sky, Glory, Simple Joys, With You, Morning Glow and Love Song.

The Weathervane Playhouse’s production, under the direction of Eric van Baars, is slight on theme development and long on fun. Characters are broadly portrayed, with much feigning and surface performances. The choreography is nicely conceived, the music well performed, the singing often quite good.

Connor Simpson, who doesn’t fit the usual physical image of the actor who plays the role of Pippin, has a nice singing voice and has some fine moments.

Jayson Kolbicz, who dances well and has a pleasant vocal tones, but overacts, feigns emotion and is too flamboyant as the Leading Player. He overshadows and loses the importance of the character with an overdrawn fey characterization.

Samantha Rickard makes for a lovely and believable Catherine, while Maria Work never quite found a consistent identity for Fastrata.

Karen Wood needed to have more fun as Berthe, especially in Simple Joys. Henry Bishop was a fine Charlemagne. Cody Hernandez played at being Lewis, rather than being Lewis, often substituting pseudo-feminine gestures and over-extended facial expressions for meaningful actions.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Weathervane’s production of PIPPIN is long on glitz and short on meaning. It’s not bad, just, in my opinion, misses the opportunity to use the story and wonderful music to tell a purposeful message.