[NEohioPAL]Berko Review: EARS ON A BEATLE/DOBAMA

[Roy Berko]

DOBAMA’S ‘EARS ON A BEATLE’ FASCINATING GLIMPSE AT
HISTORY

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


Jon Wiener, a professor of History at the University
of California, spent 14 years fighting to gain access
to the FBI's secret files on John Lennon.  These are
the files that inspired Mark St. Germain to write the
play ‘EARS ON A BEATLE,’ now on stage at Dobama
Theatre. 

First produced in 2003 as part of the Berkshire
Festival,  it received its Off-Broadway premiere in
March of this year.  Ironically, it stared Dan Lauria
of TV’s “The Wonder Years” fame who is presently
appearing at The Cleveland Play House in “LEADING
LADIES.”

The play is a dark comedy that follows two
surveillance agents assigned to monitor the personal,
professional and political activities of former
Beatle, band member and anti war activist John Lennon
and his wife Yoko Ono during the 1970s.

Though not truly a docudrama, as St. Germain plays
somewhat loosely with facts and adds devices to
develop his plot, it encourages much thought About the
role of government intrusion into our lives, and how
facts can be manipulated.  It inspires thoughts about
assassinations, plots and playing with the truth 

The story centers on two agents, Howard Ballantine
(Joel Hammer) a disillusioned cynic and Daniel McClure
(Andrew Tarr) an eager neophyte who is the son of a
Viet Nam army officer.  The author has fashioned his
two protagonists as a couple of ordinary guys dealing
with relationship troubles and other everyday
concerns.  As they proceed with their job of watching,
documenting, and reporting on the life of someone
else, one asks the other whether he ever feels that
he's not really living his own life.   Often they are
not, but are instead bystanders to history, unable to
effect change even when they want to do so.   This is
evidenced when, as McClure becomes disillusioned and
asks,  “What is my job? Just digging deeper and deeper
into people until I find the worst in them?

Though the script is too formulaic,  St. Germain has
some sharp observations on the conspiracy theories and
the failure of idealism.  He does a nice job of
blending the melodramatic with the dramatic and with
the humorous, and develops characters that give the
play’s director, Charles Kartali, a chance to use his
creativity and the actors’ talents to develop
interesting characters. 

‘EARS ON A BEATLE’ is not a docudrama; rather, St.
Germain focuses on the questions that plague the
national imagination in relation to the assassinations
of world leaders and celebrities from Kennedy to
Lennon.  It asks where you draw the line between
coincidence and conspiracy.  The playwright suggests
that even the characters may not know -- and, if they
do, they're not telling each other. 

Director Kartali has a grasp on the meaning of the
script and helps develop the ideas.  His staging,
however, becomes a little chaotic by overuse of set
changes.  As much audience time is spent watching two
very hard working stage hands move set pieces as
participating in listening to lines.   The stage hands
deserved a curtain call as much as the actors.

Richard Ingraham has done a wonderful job of patching
together the complicated sound design which blends
together music, voice-overs, and segments from
historical speeches and media performances.

Joel Hammer is excellent as Ballantine.  He is
consistent in his characterization.  His cynicism, his
walking the fine line between blind political loyalty
and realistic frustration is finely developed.  Andrew
Tarr, who adds a nice naivety to his role,  is
acceptable as McClure, but does not have the acting
depth to make the role totally believable.  His
characterization often waivers.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  Dobama’s ‘EARS ON A BEATLE’ is
well worth seeing.  As evidenced by the reactions of
the opening night audience, the intermissionless play
holds the audience's interest due to its compelling
subject matter -- which includes some surprising
revelations -- and a solid performance from Joel
Hammer.

‘EARS ON A BEATLE’ runs through October 10 .   For
information and tickets call 216 932-3396.

Dobama’s next production is ‘HIGHWAY ULYSSES,’
composed and written by Rinde Eckert.  It is a
retelling of Homer’s ‘ODYSSEY’ as a contemporary tale
of love and loss.  The November production will be a
midwest premiere, only the second production of this
important new theatrical work.


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Roy Berko's web page can be found at royberko.info and many of his theatre and dance reviews appear on artscleveland.net.


		
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