[NEohioPAL] Berko review: SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION @ Karamu

[Roy Berko]

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 *SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION challenges audience at Karamu*



Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)



John Guare, author of SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, which is now being staged
at Karamu Theatre, is noted for his highly theatrical scripts.  His writing
often tries to expand the theatre’s boundaries, which reflects his attitude
that “the chaotic state of the world demands it.”



Guare’s 1990 play is based on the real life story of con artist David
Hampton.  Hampton came to New York in 1981 and stumbled on an idea of how
to get into the lives of famous people when he supposedly told the guard at
the then famous Studio 54 that he was the son of Sidney Portier.   The ruse
worked and after duplicating the idea at restaurants, he became friends
with a person who gave him inside information which supposedly allowed him
to weasel money and other favors from such personages as Melanie Griffith,
Gary Sinise and Calvin Klein.  Even after getting caught, when the SIX
DEGREES OF SEPARATION film opened in 1993 Hampton attempted to get into the
producers’ party, gave interviews, and started to harass Guare.  Lawsuits
and counter suits followed.



The title of the play comes from the unproven theory that everyone on the
planet is connected to any other person through a chain of birth or
acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries, thus there is no
more than six degrees of separation between you and anyone else in the
world.



The play’s core centers on the Kittredges, a wealthy art dealer and his
wife, who, one night when entertaining are interrupted by a visit from
Paul, a charming young man who claims he has been mugged, has nowhere to
go, and has turned to them because their children, who the young man
attended prep school with, had told him about the kindness of the family.  He
also claims to be the  son of Sidney Portier.  Not only the Kittredges, but
other families are taken in by Paul.  The goings on, including Paul’s
bringing a hustler into the Kittredges home, the dealings between Flan
Kittredge and a South African art dealer, conflicts with their children, a
suicide, and the questioning of truth versus fiction, all emerge.



Karamu’s production, under the direction of Michael Oatmen, works on some
levels, falters on others.  Oatmen, who is a local playwright, has
re-imagined the play, changing the lead characters from white to black and
Paul, the supposed son of Sidney Portier, from black to white.  The switch
makes for some interesting thought concepts as Oatmen did not change the
script’s references to the races of the individuals.



He has also added dancing, background music, and minimalized the set.  Most
of these additions are unimportant and add little to the play and may
distract from allowing the audience to get involved directly in the flow of
the story line.



The major problem with the production is Oatman’s lack of realization that
he is working with mostly untrained actors and, therefore,  needed to spend
time teaching the necessary techniques for his cast to be, rather than
feigning or pretending to be, real people .  This is a play, as is the
requirement of realistic drama, requires that audiences believe that what
they are seeing is actual. In addition, poor blocking decisions caused
actors to presenting lines with other actors standing in front of them and
in distracting clumps.



Dan Rand has excellent potential as an actor, but stays too close to the
emotional surface as Paul.  He is believable, up to a point, but doesn’t
probe deeply enough into the psychological underpinnings of the character,
thus acting like rather than creating a bona fide Paul.



Both Rochelle Jones as Ouisa Kittredge and Kenneth Parker as Flan Kittredge
have some nice moments, but, as with Rand, they never create authentic
people, feigning reality, rather than living the parts.



Be aware that the production contains male-to-male kissing and nudity.  These
actions caused some uncomfortable tittering and gasps from the opening
night audience.



*CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION is a well conceived script,
based on a fascinating concept which gets an acceptable, but not
mesmerizing production at Karamu.  *

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SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION continues through  April 7 at Karamu, 2355 East
89th Street, which has a fenced, guarded and lighted parking lot adjacent
to the theatre, and provides free parking.  For ticket information call
216-795-7077.
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