[NEohioPAL]Bang and the Clatter's opening night

[Henry Bishop]

Posted on Tue, Oct. 11, 2005
REVIEW

Gripping story of violent home

New theater company presents family drama on starkly set stage

Kerry Clawson

Beacon Journal

The Bang and the Clatter's opening night of The Late Henry Moss was a
momentous occasion, as Akron's newest small professional theater opened =
its
doors for its inaugural season.
One could feel the excitement as more than 100 guests (nearly a sellout
crowd) waited for Sam Shepard's haunting tale of estrangement, =
resentment,
pain and violence to unfold.
The Bang and the Clatter, founded by director Sean McConaha and actor =
Sean
Derry, offers this 2001 drama as part of its mission of providing
contemporary work aimed primarily at ages 18 to 45. The company has more
than risen to the challenge.
McConaha sets a tone of sheer misery with his fine cast of Akron-area =
actors
and Derry's desolate set. He also creates some vicious stage fighting as =
the
young actors pound on each other in realistic, scary fashion.
As Conchalla, actress Tina Thompkins gets in on the violence, too, at =
one
point dropping actor Jim Viront face-first on the kitchen table.
The desolate-looking set shows the beat-up New Mexico rat hole the title
character lived and died in. A barred window above the bed may represent =
his
emotionally imprisoned life.
No audience members are seated more than four rows from the wide, =
shallow
stage. With the help of black tarps, Derry has disguised well the fact =
that
the theater company is using just one section of a huge space on the =
second
floor at Summit ArtSpace.
Estranged brothers Earl (Mark Mayo) and Ray (Derry) meet for the first =
time
in seven years upon the death of their father, the violent-tempered =
drunk
Henry (Viront). In his need to suppress and deny his painful past, Earl =
lies
to his brother about their father's death, but Ray knows better.
Henry has left nothing but a legacy of pain, guilt and violence. But =
younger
brother Ray, the scruffy antihero, is in relentless pursuit of the truth
surrounding his father's death. Derry, darkly sarcastic and distrustful,
gets his information through intimidation.
The play -- part mystery and part inevitable tragedy -- reconstructs =
through
flashbacks the final days of the miserable Henry's life.
Both brothers have inherited some of their father's ugly traits. =
Overall,
Ray comes across as more menacing than Earl. One would imagine Earl =
being
cold and heartless, but in this production, he just seems to be playing
innocent. In fact, Earl seems harmless enough until he snaps and throws =
his
brother into a refrigerator.
Later, Earl protests ironically, ``I'm nothing like my old man.''
Viront's Henry isn't a subtle drunk at all: He's over the top with his
bellowing and raging. With his wild gray hair and dirty shirt, he's at =
his
best when he breaks down to reveal that he felt undeserving of his =
wife's
love and devotion. This moving scene reveals that Henry has not only =
been
killing himself slowly with alcohol, but also has been dead emotionally =
for
many years.
Realistic touches
The play runs a long two acts before intermission. It feels like real =
time,
with the argument between brothers dragging out as Ray continually harps =
on
his suspicions and Earl tries to evade his brother.
Realistic strokes in staging include running water for a bath and menudo
cooking on a working stove.
For all the play's realism, there's an entrancing level of mysticism, =
too,
mainly through the character of Conchalla. Thompkins is mysterious, =
playful
and bold in this role. She's much prettier and sexier than the huge =
woman
described in the play's script, but her characterization works. =
Conchalla
calls Henry a dead man, even though he's still walking around and =
yelling,
and we understand why.
Tom Barnes is likable as neighbor Esteban, who tries to minister to =
Henry's
needs. David LeMoyne, humorous as the idiotic taxi driver, is panicked =
when
he becomes wrapped up in the Moss family's ugliness.
Surreal flashback
The abuse Henry doled out on his wife and his abandonment of his family =
have
left his sons with deep scars they must confront after he dies. The =
final
flashback has a surreal sense, with Henry addressing Earl in current =
time
before going back a week to reveal the manner of Henry's death.
This play is depressing in its presentation of the lasting effects of an
emotionally and physically violent upbringing. After finally facing =
their
demons, can the brothers be cleansed? That's the question.
Here, the audience gets to do the thinking.
Expect more great things to come from this new, daring company, which =
will
present Neil LaBute's Fat Pig in 2006.

Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail =
at
kclawson at thebeaconjournal.com.=20