"The Porch" Takes Life Easy

"The Porch"

Written and directed by Jack Neary; set designer, Jenna McFarland Lord; costume designer, Seth Bodie; lighting designer, David Wilson; sound designer, Jamie Whoolery

Cast: Alma, Ellen Colton; Leo, John Davin; Marjorie, Cheryl McMahon; Pat, Richard Snee; Gert, Sheriden Thomas

Performances: Now through June 1, Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, Mass.
Box Office: 781-279-2200 or www.stonehamtheatre.org

When friends and lovers manage to endure decades of shared triumph and tragedy – as well as years of everything from the absurd to the mundane – they settle into a comfort zone where conversations are easy and pretense is no longer necessary. Even when the most intimate thoughts and feelings remain unspoken, there is an intuitive understanding that makes every joy and sorrow seem perfectly okay.

Such are the relationships that local playwright and director Jack Neary brings so deftly to life in his down-home comedy The Porch now on stage through June 1 at the Stoneham Theatre in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Populated with characters as familiar as colorful relatives at a family reunion, The Porch is to eastern Massachusetts what Steel Magnolias is to northwest Louisiana – the coming together of lifelong neighbors in everyday conversation that gently and comically reveals the resiliency of the human heart in the face of unexpected sorrows.

Retired couples Gert and Leo, Marjorie and Pat, and the widowed Alma – old enough to enjoy bus trips to Foxwoods but still too young to consider themselves senior citizens – swap stories and laughs as they prepare for a huge Labor Day picnic in Alma's back yard. It is September 2004, and a hardcover copy of Bill Clinton's autobiography combined with headline news of the Catholic Church child abuse scandals focus the quintet's attention on sexual matters both public and private. How each person handles the various graphic and philosophical discussions reveals attitudes and inner truths that are very funny but also surprisingly profound.

Rough around the edges Gert, played with a tough-tender wisdom that is no-nonsense direct by a perfectly accented Sheriden Thomas, minces few words and even fewer gestures in describing what Monica Lewinsky did to Bill Clinton in the Oval Office. Cheryl McMahon as a light-headed cross between Shirley Booth's Hazel and Jean Stapleton's Edith Bunker wouldn't say poop if she had a mouthful, but she understands a lot more than she lets on and serves as rock-solid support to those around her. John Davin as Leo is the perfect tightly wound foil for Thomas's smart-mouthed Gert. His snappy sarcasm and false machismo can't hide the affection that has kept him married and faithful for 42 years, despite literal and figurative ups and downs. As the ever practical and laconic Pat, Richard Snee is delightfully low key, earning big laughs with the slightest of whimsical arches brought to his primarily deadpan hang-dog face.

Ellen Colton has the most challenging role as Alma, the widow whose family secret is hinted at throughout the play. She must balance a naive innocence with a knowing sense of distraction that erupts into agitation and remorse when confrontation is inevitable. Colton effectively handles her transitions from the one whose feelings her friends protect to the one who finally faces her issues head on, but Neary's writing becomes a bit contrived and formulaic when forcing her revelation. The mood shifts from gaiety to drama back to lightheartedness too quickly, and his big climactic scene loses much of its intended poignancy as a result. A more layered build-up and a stronger "laughter through tears" resolution might have had a more lasting impact.

Neary does have a fine ear for colloquial dialog, and he directs his stellar cast to be completely natural. In their off-the-rack sweat suits, khakis, embroidered sweaters and floral house dresses, they look as comfortable on set designer Jenna McFarland Lord's beautifully detailed Colonial front porch as if they had been chatting there for years.

The Porch is a deceptively tender play that is also very funny. It's an inviting place to set a while and will leave you feeling right neighborly.

PHOTOS: Sheriden Thomas as Gert, Ellen Colton as Alma, and Cheryl McMahon as Marjorie; John Davin as Leo and Richard Snee as Pat; Sheriden Thomas, Ellen Colton, Cheryl McMahon, John Davin and Richard Snee

 

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