Picnic
Reviewed by Deborah Klugman
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble
Through May 28
One of America’s most popular playwrights in the 1950s, William Inge drew on his childhood and youth in a small Kansas town for his incisive portrayals of life in the American Midwest. Inge eventually fell out of favor with critics and audiences alike, a decline precipitated in part by a brutal hit job at the hands of prominent theater critic Robert Brustein who, in a review of The Dark at the Top of the Stairs in 1958, assailed Inge for “mediocrity” and “manipulation.” Easily wounded —it also bears mention he lived his life in the closet —the playwright succumbed to his inner demons and died by suicide in 1973 at the age of 60.
But Picnic, the play which garnered him the 1953 Pulitzer (and helped catapult Paul Newman to stardom), has lived on, reflecting, perhaps, outdated mores and attitudes (which, alarmingly, significant swaths of our demographic would have restored) yet embodying themes— the perils and privileges of youth, the ubiquitous longing for love, the intransigent nature of class in American society and the strictures and expectations encumbering women —that prevail to this day.
Which is why setting the story in an African American community, as director John Farmanesh-Bocca has done in the current production at the Odyssey Theatre, is immaterial. (He’s also pushed the action forward to the 1960s and added background R&B vocals for flavor.) The basic plot is poignant and universal and works with whomever. On the other hand, what has made a discernible difference, not for the better, are missteps in casting, an indifferent standard of performance overall, and questionable choices in scenic design (Frederica Nascimento) and costuming (Mylette Nora). Altogether, they culminate in a disappointing experience — especially given this director’s track record, which, in the past has embraced some of the most innovative and stunning theater pieces I’ve seen.
These productions, however, were — as he describes them himself in the program — “highly visceral adaptations of ancient works.” Picnic is 20th century Americana. It’s set in a small town in Kansas, on an uncharacteristically hot Labor Day weekend. Folks getting ready for the annual holiday picnic include single mother Flo Owens (Yolanda Snowball) and her two daughters, 18-year-old Madge (Caitlin O’Grady, alternating with Mattie Harris Lowe) and 16-year-old Millie (Symphony Canady). The beautiful Madge, who works in a dime store, is engaged to Alan (Ahkei Togun), the scion of a wealthy family; marriage to him will secure her a life of luxury. Her younger sister Midge, still very much a kid, is altogether different; In the script Inge puts her in dungarees, a denim shirt and a cap. Tomboyishness aside, though, Millie does well in school; she likes to draw and reads books, and dreams of going to New York.
The action ignites around the arrival of a handsome well-built drifter, Hal (Monti D. Washington) who’s doing chores for Flo’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Potts (Rosemary Thomas). At Ms. Potts’ insistence, Hal’s removed his sweaty shirt, revealing a sculpted torso that ignites a flurry of excitement among the women, including Mrs. Owen’s boarder, Rosemary (Sydney A. Mason), an unmarried teacher of shorthand, frustrated in a going-nowhere relationship with her beau Howard, an entrenched bachelor. (Derrick Parker).
From this point the narrative turns on the combustible chemistry between two young wannabe lovers, Madge and Hal; igneous sparks fly, upturning their lives and those of almost everyone they know.
Central to the drama is the clash between society’s conventions — personified by Flo, who desperately wants her daughter to marry up — and the dreams and passions of youth, who want what their hearts want, and for whom the future is an insubstantial notion, to be dealt with when or if it ever arrives.
And here’s the thing: Madge is still in her teens; Alan still in college and Hal, who flunked out, is Alan’s former schoolmate, so pretty much the same age ‑ no older than in his early 20s.
Which for me presents a problem because Washington’s Hal bears the self-confident mien of a mature man; it’s a very big stretch to perceive this performer as an insecure young guy of maybe 23, who, despite his bravado, is easily intimidated not only by people of wealth but by poorer ladies like Flo, who cast judgmental eyes his way.
The production approaches the poignancy and truth at the play’s heart with the performances of Mason and Parker as Rosemary and Howard respectively — she an unhappy “spinster” desperate not to end life alone, he a nice-enough fella who wants to stay unattached. As Flo’s good-hearted neighbor, Mrs. Potts, a persuasive Rosemary Thomas contributes a palpable sense of community to the story.
Other performances fall in the OK range: The characters’ inner lives aren’t much explored and in some cases are one-note. Add to that the capaciousness of the set, which has the two neighboring houses (rather sparely represented) set far apart, countering the in-your-face, small town environs that ought to frame the story. The uncluttered stage proffers almost too much room for the actors to move. A painted scrim that aims to suggest the flat plains and blue skies of Kansas doesn’t really add a whole lot of ambience.
Some of the costuming also seems not quite right. Millie is introduced to us wearing a revealing halter top — absolutely unbefitting to the character as Inge conceived her — then later dressed in the frumpiest dress imaginable even as the text suggests that she is now being prettified. And though Howard won’t wear a jacket because it’s hot, he’s in what looks like a vest and long sleeves, instead of a short-sleeve shirt better suited to the heat. Certainly in a more fastidiously focused production, the weather itself would be far more of a player than it is here.
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm, Mon. 8 pm. thru May 28. www.OdysseyTheatre.com Approximate running time: two hours and 10 minutes with an intermission.
