The life
of a soul
by
Michael Dresdner
L to R: Liberty Evans-Agnew, Deya Ozburn All photos by Kate Paterno-Lick
Disabuse
yourself of any notion that this play will be depressing, maudlin, or
dispiriting, for it is anything but. The Miracle Worker, now playing at
Lakewood Playhouse, is as superb and enjoyable a production as you can imagine.
As easy as it might have been to slip into the noir, it is instead gripping, hopeful,
and at the end, thoroughly rewarding, thanks both to skilled direction by Pug
Bujeaud and simply amazing acting by the cast.
Yes,
there are wonderful period costumes by Rachel Wilkie, especially Kate’s
outfits, lighting (Daniel Cole) used to change our focus to make one stage appear
as five distinct settings, and an unobtrusively convincing set by James
Venturini that worked beautifully without drawing focus. But it is the cast,
and in particular three leads, who made this show the absolute winner it is.
The play
itself is superbly written, laced with foreshadowing, subtle parallels, and
even some circular connections, all rewards for the observant theater denizen.
For instance, the figurative ongoing tug of war for control of Helen between
Annie and mother Kate actually plays out literally in one scene. The play even
does a fine job of adroitly answering the classic question of why Annie Sullivan
would devote such superhuman effort and patience to Helen. It’s all part of an
ultimately closed circle of guilt and redemption surrounding Annie’s deceased
younger brother, and comes complete with an insight into Annie’s own horrendous
childhood.
You
probably know the story. Helen Keller, struck blind and deaf by disease before
the age of two, had morphed into a spoiled wild-child thanks to the guilty
indulgence of her parents. When she was seven, they hired 20-year-old Annie
Sullivan, herself almost completely blind in spite of several operations, who
through extreme patience and tenacity set out to break through the wall of dark
silence Helen occupied. After a frustrating start, Annie realizes that Helen’s enabling
parents are undermining her efforts with well-meaning and loving
over-indulgence. She insists that the only way she can get through to Helen,
and get her to behave as well, is to have her to herself, isolated in an out
building on the property. There, with no one to turn to but Annie, the two
finally start to make some progress.
While
the entire cast was worthy of praise, three women in particular stand out. All were
completely endearing, and I found myself genuinely caring about these people
whether their actions were right, wrong, kindly, or seemingly cruel. That’s the
first step toward creating a play well worth watching.
L to R: Liberty Evans-Agnew, Gretchen Boyt
First, there’s
Gretchen Boyt, who plays Kate Keller, Helen’s mother, and takes us convincingly
through a range of severe and conflicting parental emotions. Struck with horror
at Helen’s illness-induced debilitation, Kate becomes the classic enabler,
showering Helen with extreme forbearance, love, and unfortunately, pity, to
assuage her unfocussed guilt. Later she is forced to come to grips with the
fact that she is a very large part of Helen’s problem, and Boyt lets us see the
struggle of her internal battle between well-meaning indulgence and tough love.
Helen
herself is played by Liberty Evans-Agnew, and it’s hard to imagine a young
actor doing a better job of holding her own bracketed by such pros. With no
dialog to fall back on, everything she does is physical, yet she both wins us
over and thoroughly conveys the range of emotions Helen indulges in, from
frustration and anger, to fear, trust, and love. This young woman does the part
yeoman service in a performance that would be called marvelous by an actor of
any age.
Top to bottom: Deya Ozburn, Liberty Evans-Agnew
Last,
and most certainly not least, is Deya Ozburn’s staggering portrayal of Annie
Sullivan. I have in the past praised Ozburn for very varied roles here at
Lakewood in The Children’s Hour, Twelfth Night, and The Importance of Being
Earnest, but this was a new high. Ozburn brings the tireless, highly focused
Annie to life. She wears dark glasses to protect her sensitive eyes, and reads
hunched over with her face a mere inch or two from the page. The bulk of her
portrayal is physical, but when she does speak, her terse, emotionally vibrant
words reveal a young woman with a tormented body and soul who somehow found
uncommon strength and confidence from her travails, and one seriously worthy of
our respect and admiration.
Not
surprisingly, much of the interplay between Helen and Annie is wordless, but
highly energetic. During one scene in the first act, Annie chases everyone out
of the dining room to be left alone with Helen. What follows is a long battle
of wills between Helen and Annie that is surely both physically and emotionally
taxing in the extreme for both actors. Not a word is spoken the entire time, yet
that scene, the high point of the play for me, was by itself a brilliant tour
de force for which both Ozburn and Evans-Agnew deserve kudos.
By the
time the play ends with the final, uplifting reward of Helen’s breakthrough at
the water pump, the audience has been treated to some of the finest
performances of the year. This is a theatre experience that can take you well
outside your comfort zone, then cap the adventure with palpable relief and pure
elation. Grab your calendar and schedule a time to see The Miracle Worker. You
will not be disappointed.
The
Miracle Worker
Feb. 20
to Mar. 15, 2015
Lakewood
Playhouse
http://www.lakewoodplayhouse.org/
