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The Curious Savage By John Patrick Reviewed by Cristina Martin Entire contents copyright © 2009, Cristina Martin. All rights reserved.
I can't help but smile when I think about the title of the play running currently at Shelby County Community Theatre. If one doesn't know better, one may be tempted to imagine some hapless indigenous soul in an as-yet-unexplored land a few hundred years ago meeting up with some haughty imperialist who has never before encountered the likes of him. As such things go, we might hope that the savagery of the "civilized" will be shown up and that the nobility of the "savage" will triumph. Well, don't expect to see any loincloths in Shelby County. As for the rest, it's not all that far off the mark. Written in 1950, Louisville native John Patrick's play is set at The Cloisters, an upscale sanatorium just outside of Boston. We meet five "guests" as the first act opens: Florence (Erin Engstrom Block), Hannibal (James Ray Morgan), Fairy May (Kaitlin Erhard – or Kaitlen Erhart? Her name is spelled variously in the program), Jeff (Bill Dunning), and Mrs. Paddy, or Patty? (Betty Zielinski). Each one is entirely charming in his or her own way, though some may consider them all just a little bit off kilter. Florence has lost a son and persists in the notion that he is still alive; Hannibal believes he can play the violin, though his virtuosity is apparent to no one but himself. Fairy May makes up outlandish stories about her childhood and insists constantly on being told that she is loved, interesting in light of the fact that the playwright himself was abandoned as a child. Fairy also thinks she is beautiful when she is in truth quite plain, though that requires a lot of imagination on the audience's part in the case of the irrepressibly adorable Miss Erhard. Jeff is a concert pianist and war veteran who is terribly self-conscious, both about playing the piano and about a disfiguring mark on his face that only he can see. And Mrs. Paddy, absolutely hilarious in Betty Zielinski's rendition though she has only a handful of lines, has given up electricity for Lent and speaking forever – except to rattle off long lists of the things she hates from time to time. Along with Dr. Emmett (Paul Schmidt) and his nurse, Miss Wilhelmina (Candy Thomas), this group forms a strong and balanced ensemble, and each actor brings out his or her character's particularities well through individual mannerisms and telling interaction with the others. The characters are costumed to look entirely normal and are even rather well-dressed in most cases. Dr. Emmett and Miss Willy dispense with the white coats entirely, and the wood furniture, area rugs, and artwork on the walls of the well-appointed set suggest nothing more remarkable than a tastefully decorated living room. Only the bars on the window at center stage betray the nature of this establishment. Seated off to the side on the shorter leg of an L-shaped house, I do wish I had been able to see this window and the upstage area between it and the piano a bit better. The "guests" are so gentle, so engaging, so kind in humoring one another's eccentricities, so civilized, we wonder where the savagery is going to come in. Enter it does, unmistakably, in the form of the three greedy adult stepchildren of Ethel P. Savage (Carol Tyree Williams), who wish to commit her to The Cloisters so that they can get their hands on her money. She'd like to use her fortune to fund the delightfully "foolish" projects of those who might not otherwise have the means to indulge their flights of fancy. This, according to Titus (Cook Farmer), Samuel (Bob Zielinski) and Lilly Belle, spelled Lily Belle elsewhere in the program (Cheryl Rankin Van Stockum), is madness. All three of the younger Savages are simply horrid. Farmer plays blowhard politician Titus, whose ridiculous hair makes him all the more laughable, with gusto; Bob Zielinski skulks around very well as Samuel, the ineffectual judge with a reputation for having his decisions reversed. The crown jewel, however, is Lilly Belle. Cheryl Rankin Van Stockum plays the epitome of supercilious shallowness. She goes nearly apoplectic at one point when it is thought that the Savage fortune might be lost to everyone, and her fluttering rage is a sight to see. These Savages are bullies and brutes through and through, no matter what society may say. At the center of it all, however, like the curious grande dame that she is, is Ethel P. Savage. Carol T. Williams' warmth and humor are simply captivating. She has a presence and star quality that reminded me on more than one occasion of a feisty yet regal Glenn Close. It is wonderful to watch the relationships develop between Mrs. Savage and the other "guests"; under John S. Benjamin's direction, characters and the friendships between them blossom gracefully. We're drawn in by John Patrick's nicely structured plot and tickled at every turn by the clever, funny dialogue. Witnessing the wits and generosity of those living at The Cloisters versus the bad behavior of those who are supposedly the movers and shakers of the world, we can't help but think about just who's got it right. "Sanity" lacks humanity sometimes, whereas those who march to their own beat often strike the right note when it comes to being fully human. The play teaches us that certain elements of convention bear reexamination, to be sure, but spelling shouldn't be one of them, particularly when it comes to people's names and that of the Louisville Repertory Company (spelled "Reparatory" in one actor's program bio, which makes one wonder exactly what it is they're in the business of repairing). Apart from a small number of lines not articulated as well as they could have been and just a few minor slips that were covered well, the performance was flawless and very enjoyable. Have no qualms about encountering The Curious Savage – you'll come away enlightened and all the better for it.
The Curious Savage May 8, 9, 15 & 16, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: (502) 633-0242
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