Garrett Rowe

ALT: Damaged souls in Inge’s dark drama

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By John Lyle Belden

The title, “Natural Affection,” despite being part of a spoken line, is ironic.

A lesser-known yet highly regarded drama by William Inge (its brief 1962-63 Broadway run suffered from poor publicity), it is a story of people struggling with life and relationships in upper middle-class Chicago apartments. The overall atmosphere is Tennessee Williams, without the humidity.

In the current American Lives Theatre production, single mother Sue (Carrie Anne Schlatter, or Christine Zavakos on select dates) is expecting a Christmas visit from her troubled teen son Donnie (Zach Hoover), allowed temporary release from the “work farm” to which he had been sentenced for an assault years earlier. Sue’s life had been hard, but she has found success as a buyer for a downtown department store, which irks her live-in boyfriend Bernie (Alex Oberheide), a struggling Cadillac salesman.

Next door are friends, of a sort, Vince (Ronn Johnstone), a mostly-functioning alcoholic with both high income and debts, and his wife Claire (Diana O’Halloran), who married for money and is now unsure what she wants – aside from Bernie, again.

Other roles are filled by Wendy Brown, Tim Leonard, Garrett Rowe (including a scene as Donnie’s fellow parolee), and Haley Glickman (most notably in the play’s climax).

This dark drama with, at best, a grim humor provides hearty material for the actors. The undercurrent of dysfunction soon becomes apparent between Sue and Bernie. Schlatter ably expresses the woman constantly pushing against her own insecurities, never quite sure she’s made it. Despite her workplace success, she still feels the need for a marriage to make her truly happy; which with her going on 40 in the 1960s, brings feelings of desperation. Oberheide, for his part, wears his neediness like the tailored suit he wears to work the car lot, coming across like the smarmy guy who’s about to talk you into all the options. It burns him that his girlfriend makes far more than he does, which he gives as the reason for not marrying her. On top of this, Bernie has an abusive temper, but more bipolar than controlling, bringing Sue along on the ride.

As noted above, the “natural” way you’d assume a Midwest family holiday to go is absent here, especially with the neighbors, as Vince tries to salve insecurities about both his financial worth and his sexuality with a wild swinger lifestyle. Johnstone is excellent at playing someone so perpetually pickled you could almost smell it on him without delving into comic drunk stereotype. We hear moments of lucidity between the slurred lines, a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions, and when he’s truly had one too many, it’s more pathetic than funny. O’Halloran portrays the debutante who never matured beyond high school, in desperate need of affections she can only see as transactional; Claire wants better for herself, without a clue about where to start.

Hoover’s Donnie is a Freudian scholar’s dream, the hurt boy in the body of a dangerous man, never sure how to connect with a mother he has only seen infrequently through his tragic life. His scars are both visible and deep, as we discover a character like a revolver with a single chamber loaded. Tension builds from one trigger moment to the next, to the last.

Directed by ALT artistic director Chris Sanders (one of his passion projects), assisted by Tim Leonard with Marta Hamilton as stage manager, this gripping study of human affections, however you define them, runs through Jan. 21 at the IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair, Indianapolis. Get tickets at indyfringe.org and info at americanlivestheatre.org.

Southbank ‘Lion’ a medieval family feud

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By John Lyle Belden

If contentious family members join you for the holidays, just be glad there’s not the inheritance of a European empire on the line.

In “The Lion in Winter,” by James Goldman, King Henry II of England – and a whole lot more – is spending Christmas in his castle at Chinon, in one of his French lands (the King of France only controlled a fraction of what is in its borders today). His mistress is a sister of the French King, who is also invited; two of his three sons present had not long before led a rebellion against him (during which another son, the heir Young Henry, died) with the third son, his favorite, a whiny spoiled brat; meanwhile, estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (perhaps the era’s most powerful and influential woman) has been let out of her dungeon for the holiday.

Southbank Theatre Company presents this classic drama with catty comic overtones, directed by Becky Schlomann. A stellar local cast take the stage: Doug Powers presents the stubborn confidence of Henry, ever showing the clever, calculating mind that helped win and keep an empire, but his willingness to use love and relationships as weapons has cost him any family unity. Miranda Nehrig as young Alais shares his bed but, she fears, not his heart, as she realizes her place in the nobility is imperiled the longer she stays unmarried – and eventually to whom she is wed, she has no control.

The three sons couldn’t be more different: Richard (Thomas Sebald) is all about war and fighting, and truly a man’s man. Geoffrey (Jo Bennett) is highly intelligent, charming, and conniving – which means no one is trusting him with the crown.  Then there’s John (Garrett Rowe), a teenager, but really, the baby of the family.

Jean Arnold is a complete fox – beautiful and sly – as Eleanor. With expression and bearing that hints she’s always a chess move or two ahead, she easily matches Henry in their battle of wits.

Kaya Dorsch is impressive as Philip II of France. The young king recently succeeded his father, whom he saw as being too easily taken in by Henry’s shrewd negotiations. Though the underdog in both real power and statecraft, he’s learning quickly.

Aside from the gifts wrapped in pretty boxes, what everyone wants for this Christmas is resolution to issues such as control of various parts of the Angevin Empire, including who will inherit the crown from Henry. Basically, Eleanor backs Richard (which is what had gotten her under castle arrest) while the King favors John. Throughout the play schemes and maneuvers abound, with clever arguments and retorts the weapon of choice.

Those who know history, or Robin Hood legends, know who will eventually prevail as King in a few years. However, we – and others in the audience – couldn’t help but reference Disney’s “Robin Hood” for the portrayal here of Prince John. Rowe’s tantrums are so epically immature we expected him to pop his thumb in his mouth like the film’s animated lion.

If you were unaware of this show, but the plotline seems familiar, note it is also the basis for the television series “Empire” (Cookie Lyon = Eleanor). If you are missing that drama, you will find a similar sassy spirit here.

Performances of “Lion in Winter” are Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 16-19, at Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St., in the southwest corner of the Butler University campus. Get info and tickets at southbanktheatre.org.

Civic ‘Anne Frank’ stirs young audience

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By Wendy Carson 

This past Wednesday, I was fortunate enough to be allowed to attend one of the special student showings of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre. It was eye-opening for all, to say the least. Overhearing their comments both during and after the show helped drive home how important theatrical productions of Holocaust stories are in our world.

With most of the audience being of roughly the same age as Anne, the tragedy of her life and situation really resonated with the students. While they were aware of World War II as history, seeing the images in context really drove these horrors home. After the performance, most were busy wiping tears from their eyes, even those who had read Anne’s “Diary of a Young Girl” prior to attendance.

The power of the show begins with the spectacular set design of Ryan Koharchik. The multi-level set reflects the spaces these souls were forced to inhabit during their two years in hiding but the grim truth of the situation comes from the high, chain-link fence topped with razor wire that serves at the back wall to the show. This also allows for Michael J. Lasley to project timely background photos to further the message beginning with the initial one of Anne’s photograph and actual pages of writing from her diary. Lasley also has a short moment on stage near the end of the show.

While Wendy Kesselman’s new adaption of the play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett is stirring, nothing would ring true without the amazing skills of the actors here, under the direction of versatile theatre artist Claire Wilcher. Especially since many regular theater goers will know several of them for their numerous comedic roles and will be delighted to see their incredible range highlighted here.

Rebecca Piñero brings the shy stoicism of Anne’s older sister Edith to light, keeping her character from being overlooked and fading into the background.

Kevin Caraher as Mr. Kraler, who keeps the doors to the Franks’ business open and running while ensuring no one else is aware of the eight souls above, shows both the hopefulness and fear of his role.

Mookie Harris as the dentist Mr. Dussel keeps his character cold and very removed from the others he is with, but also hints that this is the character’s way of shielding himself from the devastation of losing more people he cares about.

Jay Hemphill and Carrie Reiberg as Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan bring the elitist pomposity out in their characters, yet still show us the struggles of a couple terrified of the situation they have been put into.

Garrett Rowe, as Peter Van Daan, brings his character’s growth from fear at being thrown into a new situation with unbearable co-inhabitants, delicately budding into happiness and growing romance throughout their time together.

David Wood as Otto Frank keeps the optimistic outlook as the leader of this group of survivors. Brittany Magee’s maternal turn as Edith Frank is perfection indeed. She enacts the struggles and sorrows of a mother fighting to keep control of her family and situation so well you might think she has raised a slew of teenagers herself.

Anyone who has ever witnessed her on stage before obviously knows the spectacular comic whirlwind that is Kelsey VanVoorst. Now we are a party to the depth of her pathos as she portrays Miep Gies, the character most at risk of tragedy for her part in this endeavor. VenVoorst keeps Miep as upbeat as possible as she bravely smuggles in the supplies to keep the group alive during their time in hiding. The strength and resolve that keeps her going are evident as she forces herself to find the happiest news she can find to share with the families.

Finally, we arrive at the cornerstone role of the play, Gemma Rollison as Anne Frank (alternately played by Sydney Pinchouck on Feb. 28 and 24). Known as a brave girl who fought through so much to keep herself optimistic through her lifetime, this side of Anne is presented perfectly, yet Rollinson also brings the girl’s precocious and obnoxious spirit also noted in her writing and memories of her surviving father. Beginning as an oblivious 13-year-old who thinks teasing her companions is the height of joy, Rollinson exquisitely brings out Anne’s changes into a budding young woman by the show’s end.

As this country has recently experienced fear and confinement from a life-threatening disease, it feels like we can identify somewhat with the desperation and anxiety faced here. However, the fatalities of the Coronavirus are nothing in comparison to the horrors of the Holocaust. This grave, terrible reality is precisely why these stories must be told and retold. As the years pass and memories begin to fade, we must ensure that this dark chapter of the past is never forgotten or allowed to recur. The Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council is on hand in the lobby to provide information of how to participate in continuing this vital effort.

After seeing the reactions of the young people in the audience, I urge you to get as many of them to this show as you can (as well as yourselves). While the subject matter is rather intense and is probably not suitable for all ages, anyone 13 and up really needs to see what life could have been like for themselves if they had been born during this time. Performances run through Feb. 25 (public showtimes at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays) at the Tarkington theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. Get info and tickets at civictheatre.org or thecenterpresents.org.