THE HAPPY FEW

FAVORITE THEATER OF 2004

By Laurie Meunier Graves

All the arts are dependent on an interested audience, and, in general, the larger the population, the greater the potential for an audience. Books and movies get around this because of their ability to travel, and art exhibits can also do this. However, local performing arts, whether it’s dance or theater, are usually tied to a specific place. When that place is Broadway, in New York City, then there is the potential for a very large audience. When the place is Portland, Maine (or Lewiston or Bangor or Monmouth), let’s just say that potential is much less.

However, despite Maine’s small population, professional theater has managed to gain a toehold in the state. These theaters certainly qualify as the “happy few,” and they include Brunswick Music Theater, The Theater At Monmouth, Penobscot Theatre, Portland Stage Company, and The Public Theatre. One can only admire the energy, talent, and determination that keep these theaters running in what must be a tight market. And often, the productions are very, very good.

Unfortunately, this year, time and money did not allow me to take advantage of the theater that Maine did have to offer, and as such I can offer only a short “best of” list. Still, I felt it was important to include theater in the Best of 2004 section so that it could at least get a little of the recognition it deserves. My New Year’s resolution for 2005? Organize my time better, eat more beans and rice, and go to more plays. Because in the end, few things can compare with the experience of seeing a good play.


1. AMERICAN BUFFALO, written by David Mamet and performed at Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine.

When thinking back to the plays I saw in 2004, one repeatedly comes to mind, and that play is American Buffalo. In terms of acting, power, drama, and tension, Portland Stage Company’s production of American Buffalo wins hands down over anything else I saw during the year. Having written this, I must admit I am not a fan of the famous “Mamet-speak,” a clipped, motor-mouthed delivery that relies on endless repetition. Yet, in this play, which surely features three of the most dysfunctional characters in modern theater (and, yes, there’s stiff competition for that distinction), this most unnatural speech sounded completely natural coming from the mouths of Don, Teach, and Bobby. These three vivid characters, denizens of a down-and-out pawnshop, feel as though the next big break is just around the corner, and they vie treacherously with each other to get that break. At the same time, they compete with each other for affection and loyalty, and form an unholy family trio where Don acts as the father, and Teach and Bobby serve as his unfortunate sons. It doesn’t take the audience long to figure out that there will never be a big break for these three men, who are doomed by their personalities as well as their circumstances. Yet when blood is spilled and forgiveness is invoked, we can’t help but be moved by the plight of the hapless Don, Teach, and Bobby, played so well by Dwight Bacquie, Don Harvey, and Gregory Russell Cook.
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2. THE LIAR, written by Carlo Goldoni and performed at The Theater At Monmouth in Monmouth, Maine.

For a complete change of pace from American Buffalo, there was The Theater at Monmouth’s production of The Liar. David Greenham and Bill Van Horn took a silly classical Italian play about a compulsive liar and the ensuing complications brought about by his lying, peppered it with twentieth-century references, and came up with a zany, over-the-top, hilarious production. The entire cast threw themselves into this crazy play, but Tommy Schoffler and Dustin Tucker were especially fine as the poker-faced liar and the goofy servant, respectively. Who would have thought that washing food in a glass of water could ever be so funny? For various reasons, I was exhausted when I saw this play, but after it was over, I felt refreshed and almost rejuvenated. It just goes to show that to laugh hard is a good thing.

3. THE CRUCIBLE, written by Arthur Miller and performed at Penobscot Theatre in Bangor, Maine

Penobscot Theatre’s production of this fascinating play qualifies as a sort of honorable mention on my short list. Their production of The Crucible, using a few professional actors and a lot of local actors, was solid but certainly not outstandingly good. However, the strength of the play itself—1950s politics and family life blended with the Salem witch-hunts—brought its own spark to the mix. The dynamics of the main characters fascinated me, and I didn’t fidget once through the entire play. In addition, the challenges of professional theater in Maine are even greater in Bangor than they are in the southern part of the state. In Maine, the farther north you go, the fewer people there are, and Bangor has a much smaller population to draw on than Portland, Lewiston, or even Monmouth does. As a result, Penobscot Theatre is something akin to a minor miracle.  

 

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