SARASOTA – Legendary American playwright Eugene O'Neil wrote but one comedy. However, watching his hilarious turn of the century romp Ah, Wilderness!, one is quickly given to wonder why. The play is laugh-out-loud funny; and despite its antiquated setting, it comes off as nostalgic rather than dated, with more than a few moments that touch on themes that are once again relative in modern society.
Asolo Repertory Theatre Associate Artistic Director Greg Leaming leads an all-star cast that includes some of the company's finest actors from the last decade in this very worthwhile production. Early 20th century comedies are something of a staple on the Asolo calendar each season. In recent years the company has seen some of its best loved productions in such plays as George Kaufman’s You Can't Take It With You and Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker. O'Neil's light and tight comedy fills that slot nicely, but it gets considerable assistance from a very good cast with considerable chemistry.
I can't recall how many times I've seen David Breitbarth, Peggy Roeder and Douglas Jones share a stage, yet it's still always exciting when I see their names on the same playbill. Breitbarth is excellent as the somewhat stodgy family patriarch Nat Miller, a newspaper publisher who is experiencing something of a family crisis through his middle son Richard's romantic coming of age. Jones is perfectly cast as Nat's rapscallion brother-in-law Sid, a jovial drunkard who delivers much of the play's comic relief.
David Breitbarth and Douglas Jones. Photo by Gary W. Sweetman
It's a bit odd to see Roeder, who is arguably the most talented comedic actress in the region, playing the sole sullen role in anyone's comedy, but she is nonetheless rock solid as Nat's teetotaler sister Lily, who pines away over Sid and his inability to stay off the sauce and on the job. Denise Cormier, who brought down the house as the leading lady in last season's well received production of Good People, returns with another strong performance as Nat's prim and proper wife Essie.
As wonderful as the cast's veterans are, the real star of the story–both on the stage and in the review–is third-year FSU/Asolo Conservatory grad student Tom Harney, whose performance as Richard is simply mesmerizing. Harney has given some good performances in Conservatory productions but never really had a role to sink his teeth into like the naive teenager whose love-struck vulnerabilities are the heart and soul of O'Neil's play.
Tom Harney. Photo by Gary W. Sweetman
Harney possesses a hard to put your finger on gift for embodying a character with various layers of sometimes contradicting characteristics. There's a lot of vulnerability, a whimsical innocence that manically jumps to a stage-rattling intensity and then back again as quickly as he can turn his face and slouch his shoulders. It's hard to take your eyes off of Richard. Harney commands the stage in just about every scene he's in, the notable talent that surrounds him notwithstanding.
There are some other good performances from Conservatory students including Joe Knipsel, who plays Richard's big brother Arthur and the always enjoyable Kelsey Petersen who plays his little sister Mildred. Chris Alexey Diaz continues to prove himself an immensely-talented character actor, who gives you the impression he could steal a scene while playing a ham sandwich. He's only got a trivial role as a brothel bartender but still manages to stand out, as does the promising Kevin Barber, who has a small role as an older friend. Kim Stephenson gets some good laughs as the hapless Irish maid, Nora, and young Ryan Modjeski does a good job as the youngest Miller boy, Tommy.
Photo by Gary W. Sweetman
Scenic designer Steven Kemp and lighting designer Anthony Pearson come together on a beautiful, minimalist stage setting that uses tricks of light to give a sense of changing backgrounds on a giant metal-mosaic backdrop. Costume designer Tracy Dorman has everyone in perfectly era-specific threads that speak to the 4th of July setting of a New England summer. Ah Wilderness! runs through April 10. Visit the Asolo website for more information.
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