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Theophilus North is ultimately described as "a free man who watches time go by on other people’s clocks," in this fascinating adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s autobiographical novel. He is a man who, at age thirty, cuts himself free from the bonds of family and work to explore the world and learn who and what he himself may become in that world. Idealistic, youthful, yearning for adventure, Theophilus travels the highway in his dilapidated old car, Hannah (played by Regan Thompson) all the way from central New Jersey to Newport, Rhode Island where he settles down for a year to learn what he can from the people in that seaside town. Oddly, he learns a great deal there.
Seven actors take on nineteen principal roles and a dozen more incidental ones as they tell the story of Mr. North’s coming of age. Scott Parkinson plays Theophilus and in the course of the two and a half hours it takes to complete his journey he never leaves the stage. His is a difficult role. He must be both symbol and flesh. He must be idealism and reality redefined. He must make us believe that this man can plunge into the uncomfortable moments with the same joy he takes in the romantic possibilities and the educational opportunities that present themselves. Parkinson is superb in his interpretation of this almost enigmatic character. He brings a grounded reality to every twist and turn that Wilder has given to this tale.
Regan Thompson plays his car as well as many of the women around the same age as North. They are unhappy wives, angry daughters, wealthy snobs and anxious females without any understanding of their own circumstances. As her equal we have Brit Whittle who changes accents and appearances with ease as he plays both upper class and lower class residents of Newport in the late 1920s.
Beginning the play as North’s parents, Geddeth Smith and Margaret Daly establish themselves firmly in a scene that rings so true they are hard to handle in their next roles. But their talents supercede the strong impressions they make at the start of the play and soon they are older and wiser advisors, wealthy folks with health and heart problems, friends and foes of the progress of North and his quest for vision.
As the younger set, Megan Ferguson and Joe Delafield are no less impressive than their elders in this company. Ferguson, in particular, makes an impression as a wealthy daughter of a hard-hearted Newport father who hires North to prevent her elopement with a gym teacher. This adventure is one of the finest pieces written by Burnett and directed by Forsman. The journey by ferryboat and car is clean and clear and so well-defined that the physical acting by the trio in this sequence is going to be shockingly memorable for a long, long while.
Beowulf Boritt’s set is lovely and simple and filled with symbolic pieces that confuse the eye, but pay off mightily by the end of the play, including a relatively underutilized collection of nineteen chandeliers. Theresa Squire has created costumes that clearly define characters and Daniel Baker has loaded the play with sound effects that delineate action, place and time. The lighting by Josh Bradford serves to hold the other elements in perfect balance.
The Dorset Theatre Festival has started its first season with Forsman as artistic director in the best way possible, with a play and a company that delivers a perfect entertainment, light in spirit but filled with enlightenment and illuminated with genuine talents.
◊06/16/2007◊
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