The Arts / Performance

Stage Manager shines in Playcrafters' ‘Our Town'

By Ruby Nancy | Thursday, November 16, 2006 | () comments

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Mary Jean Sedlock, left, Greg Cripple and Kevin Maynard in Playcrafters'“Our Town.”

You simply cannot put together a production of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” that is worth anything without a very good actor in the role of Stage Manager.

As narrator, philosopher, and sometimes one of the characters, this performer has to be such a huge presence throughout the show, and has to move seamlessly from role to role and scene to scene. It’s not something just any actor can do.

In the case of Greg Cripple, who stars as Stage Manager in the current “Our Town” at Playcrafters Barn Theatre, this is something this particular actor can do — and quite well, I might add.

Cripple’s work here is nuanced and relaxed without being overly folksy, and his quiet manner and articulate delivery are just right here. He speaks of the characters with warmth and sometimes tells their stories with a subtle gravity that is both genuine and reflective. The role requires a measure of irony and a reverence for legacy — a rare combination — and he showcases both with ease. At the performance I saw opening weekend, he did seem to struggle with lines every now and then (and he does have loads of them) but even this probably came across as though he were searching for the right word to describe the lives he chronicles in this evocative drama.

Cripple has done good work before, but I have never seen him in a role this important or challenging. Director Tom Swegle might have been taking a chance by giving this huge role to an actor whose ability to carry an entire show has not been tested elsewhere, but no doubt Swegle pats himself on the back at least three times a day for making this choice — which succeeds far beyond what most would have ever thought it could. Simply put, Cripple’s performance makes this show.

In lesser hands, the work could be maudlin and obtuse, but his ease with all of it makes this show come alive.

Other performers — particularly Kevin Maynard and Mary Jean Sedlock — also turn in excellent work here. My absolute favorite scene is the one between these two, who play sweethearts George and Emily, when they visit the soda fountain after school one day. Their timing and reaction to each other with every single line is just as it should be, and this centerpiece scene (which includes Cripple working at the soda counter) is the best one of all. Spiro Bruskas also does a fine turn as Dr. Gibbs, George’s father.

While a few other actors are not at this level, the overall quality of this bittersweet show is still quite good. A study in the craft of playwriting as well as a historical tribute to the rough-hewn New England of an earlier time, the genuine tone of “Our Town” is already well worth a visit to Playcrafters

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to experience it.

Cripple’s exemplary performance simply makes it a must-see.

James McLure’s one-acts, ”Laundry and Bourbon” and “Lone Star,” performed by Black Hawk College, both feature discussions about a man named Roy who loves his pink 1959 Thunderbird.

In the first, he is the husband waited for as laundry is ignored or folded and as bourbon is consumed. In the second, he is the central character in a series of behind-the-bar discussions — even when he is not onstage.

Roy is the kind of character who would likely take being called a redneck as compliment rather than a racist slur. Burly and loud, heavily soaked in Lone Star beer, scarred by his experiences in the Vietnam War, and already socialized to not discuss feelings, Roy is having some trouble adjusting to civilian life since his return to rural Texas.

In the first play, Roy’s wife Elizabeth (played by Madison Depoorter) waits outside their trailer for him to come home, unsure if she is up to giving him some news that he needs to hear. Depoorter’s portrayal is nearly numb, an auto-pilot kind of delivery that sums up so much of the character’s inertia. What first seems lacking in animation and too laid back to be interesting is actually a purposeful weightedness, and she does a fine, consistent job of bringing this half-catatonic woman to (almost) life. The result is moving and effective.

As her chipper, yet fundamentally unhappy friend Hattie, Alysa Grimes is on the money. True, her rapid-fire delivery of her lines is perhaps not as accurate as a drawl would be, but her work is still the source of much levity and pith. More a counterpoint to the lead role than a scene-stealer, her liveliness brings a much-needed balance to their scene, and Grimes walks this fine line with grace.

Damian Cassini stars as Roy in “Lone Star,” and his gruff, often perturbed work mostly comes across as just right for the role. He’s perhaps a touch too showy with his Southern macho posturing — since a real bad boy in a small town doesn’t need so much overt swagger — but he gets the lines out in a careless, nuanced way that belies the character’s deep wounds.

Jeremy Kelly is a hoot as Ray, Roy’s slightly simple-minded brother, and his general goofiness again plays off the other character’s central misery. By Southern standards, this particular Ray has mannerisms that suggest he is gay (though the script makes no such reference), but either way, his manner contrasts nicely with Roy’s buried and blustery anger.

With scripts that are basically a series of conversations, directors Donna Hare and Dan Haughey have done nice work to keep things from getting too static, and the energy and work these student actors put into the performances is also appreciated.

For a glimpse into the angst of small-town Texas in the 1970s, take the time to see “Laundry and Bourbon” and “Lone Star.”

IF YOU GO

What: “Our Town”

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Nov. 17-18; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19

Where: Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Ave., Moline

How much: $8

Information: (309) 762-0330