<div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><br>•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</span><br><br><p>Each year, Ensemble Theatre selects a classic play to be part of
their season offerings. Last year it was “The Iceman Cometh,” which was
recognized by the Cleveland Critics Circle for "Superior Achievement for
a Non-Musical Production." This year’s choice is Eugene O’Neill’s 1920
Pulitzer Prize winning, “Beyond the Horizon,” the author’s first
full-length work.</p><p><br>A review of the first staging of “Beyond the
Horizon” called the play “the closest approach any native author has
yet made to the great American play.” O’Neill’s epic gave birth to the
play category of “new American tragedy.” </p><p><br>Ironically, the
playwright used a take-off on the romantic story line to achieve his
goal. It was probably the formulaic romantic story line that led an
opening night reviewer to write, "There can be no question that it is a
work of uncommon merit and definite ability, distinguished by general
superiority from the great bulk of contemporaneous productions. However,
the play ‘is not quite a masterpiece.’”</p><p><br>The play centers on a
slowly evolving portrait of the Mayo family. Andrew and Robert are
bound by brotherly love, but are totally different. One is a
pragmatist, the other a dreamer. The brothers fall in love with the
same girl. Both wind up sacrificing what they really want out of life
in order to do what they think may be better for the other, and, in the
end, both lose out. </p><p><br>“Beyond the Horizon” is a play about
dreams. Every character has clearly etched desires. The father, James,
wants a bigger farm with his older son accomplishing his vision. Ruth
yearns to have a husband. Robert and Andy have opposite dreams. Andrew
wants to accomplish his father’s goal. Robert, a poet and reader,
envisions himself living out his romantic dreams of going “beyond the
horizon,” going to “the far places of the world that beckon
alluringly.” </p><p><br>The script effectively walks the fine line
between melodrama and prescription romantic saga. In lesser hands the
plot probably would have strayed from reality and into romantic
fantasy. But, fortunately, O’Neill is too proficient a writer to allow
for that.</p><p><br>The script follows the format of a three-act play,
so popular in the early to mid-twentieth century. It makes for a long,
over two-hour sit.</p><p><br>Ensemble’s production, under the direction
of Celeste Consentino, develops the playwright’s intentions. The pacing
is languid, maybe a little too languid in places. Tensions don’t
always build to their climax. The acting mainly stays on the surface,
actors not digging deeply beneath the surface level of the thoughts and
feelings of their characters, a digging that often unearths deep pain
and emotional feelings that aids the performer to illuminate the person
they are portraying.</p><p><br>James Rankin generally gives a nice
poetic dreamer quality to Robert. His closing scenes are properly
wrought with pain and the letting go of any hope for the life he dreamed
he’d live.</p><p><br>Keith Stevens, as the hard working Andrew,
develops a nice contrast to his escapist brother. Robert Hawkes clearly
creates a rough, determined father. </p><p><br>The technical aspects
are unnerving. Large electronic projections of fields and a house
interior visually overwhelm in the small Ensemble venue. The pictures
of Mary, the young daughter, many times larger than an actual child,
with an overpowering voice, makes the youngster surreal. That might
have been fine for horror movie, but this is a realistic play. </p><p><br><i>Capsule
judgment: “Beyond The Horizon” is a Eugene O’Neill classic which gets
few stagings. The Ensemble production, in general, allows us to
experience the beautiful writing of a master playwright. Ensemble is to
be praised for continuing in its task to help keep the classics alive by
producing this and other epic plays.</i></p><br>“Beyond The Horizon”
runs Fridays and Saturdays (8 PM) and Sundays (2 PM) through May 18,
2013, at Ensemble Theatre, housed in the Coventry Building, 2843
Washington Blvd, Cleveland Heights. For tickets call 216-321-2930 or go
online to <a href="http://www.ensemble-theatre.org">http://www.ensemble-theatre.org</a><br><br>To read the views of other Cleveland area theatre reviewers go to: <a href="http://clevelandtheaterreviews.com">clevelandtheaterreviews.com</a><br>
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