[NEohioPAL]Rave Review of PICNIC at Actors' Summit

Tue May 27 07:37:20 PDT 2003

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Offstage couple bring chemistry to `Picnic' roles
Director deserves credit for casting 
family in Actors' Summit show
By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer

Actors' Summit's Picnic is a satisfying front-porch drama that explores our 
inner yearnings and the surprising nature of love.

New York actor Keith Stevens is charismatic as the swaggering drifter Hal, 
who brings a sense of both danger and excitement to the lives of five women in a 
small, 1950s Kansas town.

Stevens is both leering and playful as Hal. We're drawn to this troubled 
young man, just as most of the characters in the play are.

The moment that Hal locks eyes with Madge, the town beauty (Constance 
Thackaberry), we know there's trouble ahead. Thackaberry and Stevens, real-life wife 
and husband, have a great chemistry.

The play, written by the late William Inge, is all about understatement. When 
Hal and Madge first kiss, her one word, ``Hal,'' combined with her look of 
intense longing, says it all.

In this play, everyone yearns for something. Madge needs to be noticed for 
more than her looks. Her intelligent sister Millie has to deal with being in 
Madge's shadow. Their mother yearns for lost love.

The posturing Hal yearns to fit in. Helen Potts, played with sweetness by 
Ellen Rankin, yearns for her youth. And Rosemary, played expertly by Lucy 
Bredeson-Smith, is desperate about her status as an old maid.

MaryJo Alexander (actress Constance Thackaberry's real-life mother) exhibits 
a great warmth and sad sagacity as the girls' mother, Flo. She wants more than 
anything for Madge to marry the wealthy Alan (Scott Esposito).

``It takes more than love to keep people happy,'' she says.

Much is made of Madge's beauty in this play. The very pretty Thackaberry has 
a luminous face and a gorgeous mane of hair. But she's too mature-looking to 
pass for an 18-year-old.

Bredeson-Smith offers the finest acting in the production, letting Rosemary's 
desperation and bitterness spew out in a scene where her drunken character 
makes a vicious verbal attack on Hal. Later, Bredeson-Smith is a picture of 
pathetic abandon as Rosemary begs her dud of a beau, Howard, to marry her.

Director Neil Thackaberry (Constance's father and Alexander's husband) has 
done double duty, also designing and building the show's great-looking, homey 
porch set. With its wood siding, green trim and cozy seats, it looks like a 
comfortable spot where neighbors and friends would gather.

This is the largest set I've seen on Actors' Summit's stage. Thackaberry's 
realistic scale includes real screen doors. His porch does not feature an 
upstairs, where Madge puts on a show for her admirers as she gets ready for the big 
Labor Day picnic. All of that is left to the imagination, as the heated men 
react as Madge powders her body, and Millie complains about her sister's vanity.

The few problems in this show include flubbed lines between Rankin and 
Alexander as well as inconsistent accents among cast members. But the dynamics 
between characters are excellent, thanks to the director's well-chosen cast.

The plays feels like life unfolding at a leisurely pace, just like in 
small-town America. Picnic, which premiered in 1953, was a contemporary piece at the 
time. It played on Broadway and won Inge a Pulitzer Prize. Paul Newman made 
his Broadway debut in the production as college boy Alan.

Inge was considered one of the pre-eminent playwrights of the 1950s, 
mentioned in the same breath with Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. It's hard to 
believe the man who created this wonderfully bittersweet, illuminating drama 
took his own life in 1973.

Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail at 
kclawson at thebeacon journal.com. 

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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><P ALIGN=3DCENTER><FONT  SIZE=3D5 FAMILY=
=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">Offstage couple bring chemistry to=20=
`Picnic' roles</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ff=
ffff" SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><BR>
</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D3=
 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><B>Director deserves credit=20=
for casting <BR>
family in Actors' Summit show</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGR=
OUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"=
></B><BR>
<P ALIGN=3DLEFT><B>By Kerry Clawson</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"=
BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=
=3D"0"></B><BR>
</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><B>Beacon Journal staff writ=
er</FONT><FONT  COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=
=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"></B><BR>
<BR>
Actors' Summit's <I>Picnic </I>is a satisfying front-porch drama that explor=
es our inner yearnings and the surprising nature of love.<BR>
<BR>
New York actor Keith Stevens is charismatic as the swaggering drifter Hal, w=
ho brings a sense of both danger and excitement to the lives of five women i=
n a small, 1950s Kansas town.<BR>
<BR>
Stevens is both leering and playful as Hal. We're drawn to this troubled you=
ng man, just as most of the characters in the play are.<BR>
<BR>
The moment that Hal locks eyes with Madge, the town beauty (Constance Thacka=
berry), we know there's trouble ahead. Thackaberry and Stevens, real-life wi=
fe and husband, have a great chemistry.<BR>
<BR>
The play, written by the late William Inge, is all about understatement. Whe=
n Hal and Madge first kiss, her one word, ``Hal,'' combined with her look of=
 intense longing, says it all.<BR>
<BR>
In this play, everyone yearns for something. Madge needs to be noticed for m=
ore than her looks. Her intelligent sister Millie has to deal with being in=20=
Madge's shadow. Their mother yearns for lost love.<BR>
<BR>
The posturing Hal yearns to fit in. Helen Potts, played with sweetness by El=
len Rankin, yearns for her youth. And Rosemary, played expertly by Lucy Bred=
eson-Smith, is desperate about her status as an old maid.<BR>
<BR>
MaryJo Alexander (actress Constance Thackaberry's real-life mother) exhibits=
 a great warmth and sad sagacity as the girls' mother, Flo. She wants more t=
han anything for Madge to marry the wealthy Alan (Scott Esposito).<BR>
<BR>
``It takes more than love to keep people happy,'' she says.<BR>
<BR>
Much is made of Madge's beauty in this play. The very pretty Thackaberry has=
 a luminous face and a gorgeous mane of hair. But she's too mature-looking t=
o pass for an 18-year-old.<BR>
<BR>
Bredeson-Smith offers the finest acting in the production, letting Rosemary'=
s desperation and bitterness spew out in a scene where her drunken character=
 makes a vicious verbal attack on Hal. Later, Bredeson-Smith is a picture of=
 pathetic abandon as Rosemary begs her dud of a beau, Howard, to marry her.<=
BR>
<BR>
Director Neil Thackaberry (Constance's father and Alexander's husband) has d=
one double duty, also designing and building the show's great-looking, homey=
 porch set. With its wood siding, green trim and cozy seats, it looks like a=
 comfortable spot where neighbors and friends would gather.<BR>
<BR>
This is the largest set I've seen on Actors' Summit's stage. Thackaberry's r=
ealistic scale includes real screen doors. His porch does not feature an ups=
tairs, where Madge puts on a show for her admirers as she gets ready for the=
 big Labor Day picnic. All of that is left to the imagination, as the heated=
 men react as Madge powders her body, and Millie complains about her sister'=
s vanity.<BR>
<BR>
The few problems in this show include flubbed lines between Rankin and Alexa=
nder as well as inconsistent accents among cast members. But the dynamics be=
tween characters are excellent, thanks to the director's well-chosen cast.<B=
R>
<BR>
The plays feels like life unfolding at a leisurely pace, just like in small-=
town America. <I>Picnic</I>, which premiered in 1953, was a contemporary pie=
ce at the time. It played on Broadway and won Inge a Pulitzer Prize. Paul Ne=
wman made his Broadway debut in the production as college boy Alan.<BR>
<BR>
Inge was considered one of the pre-eminent playwrights of the 1950s, mention=
ed in the same breath with Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. It's hard t=
o believe the man who created this wonderfully bittersweet, illuminating dra=
ma took his own life in 1973.<BR>
<BR>
<I>Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail=20=
at kclawson at thebeacon journal.com.</I> <BR>
<BR>
    <BR>
    <BR>
<BR>
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