Review: Theatre Raleigh's CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS

Curse of the Starving Class is set on a farmhouse in the American West, inhabited by a family who has enough to eat but not enough to satisfy the other hunger that bedevils them. The father is a drunk; the mother a frowzy slattern; the daughter precocious beyond her years; and the son a deranged idealist. As the family decides to sell the house to raise money, the mother talks of running off to Europe or Mexico; the father sobers up and tries to take control; the daughter is blown up in the family car; and the son is left brutalized and bloodied. In the end the characters become a metaphor for the underside of American life—benighted innocents pursuing a dream that remains beyond their reach.

After premiering at London’s Royal Court Theatre on April 21st, 1977, Curse of the Starving Class went on to open at Off-Broadway’s New York Shakespeare Festival on March 2nd, 1978. The production closed on April 9th of that year after 62 performances. A film adaptation directed by J. Michael McClary, which starred James Woods, Kathy Bates, Henry Thomas, Louis Gossett, Jr., and Randy Quaid, was released in 1994. The play itself has also spawned 2 Off-Broadway revivals. A third starring Calista Flockhart, Cooper Hoffman (Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son), and Christian Slater is currently scheduled for early next year.

On the first page of the playbill for Theatre Raleigh's production where executive director Lauren Kennedy welcomes patrons to the show, she mentioned that with “the palpable sense of disillusionment permeating our country, Shepard’s exploration of the fragility of the American dream feels more poignant than ever.” She couldn’t be more right. As we all just got off of a presidential election with some rather disappointing results, Theatre Raleigh presenting this play in particular at this particular time feels like fate. The material itself feels very timely. At one point in Act II, we the audience hear excerpts of both presidential candidates giving their campaign speeches. That moment may feel cathartic, but it’s one of many reasons why we need a story like this right now.

This production is directed by Lauren Kennedy’s husband, Charlie Brady. I’ve previously seen him on stage in North Carolina Theatre’s productions of Next to Normal and Mamma Mia!. The staging he provides here feels very cinematic. Just the way everything moves with such brisk pacing is sure to leave audiences on the edge of their seats. All of the action is set in a kitchen staged as if it were in a boxing ring. Meaning there's no actual walls surrounding it all, just the audience in four separate corners. This results in quite imaginative scenery designed by Chris Bernier. The sound design by Cameron Fitzpatrick and lighting designed by Jeremy Diamond both do incredible work of creating the chilling atmosphere the characters inhabit.

Most of all, Brady pulls out powerhouse performances from his cast, several of whom deliver such killer monologues. Tom Butler plays Wesley Tate, who maintains the farm after other members of his family give up. Heather Shore plays Ella Tate, his highly dysfunctional mother. Michael Tourek plays Weston Tate, her abusive alcoholic husband. Maddie Behrens plays Emma Tate, their daughter who keeps planning to run away. The rest of the cast have minor roles such as Jim Bray as real estate lawyer Taylor, Drew Solomon as bar owner Ellis, and Brian Westbrook as Sergeant Malcolm.

Who knows what the next four years will have in store for the United States of America. Yet one thing’s for sure, the theatre will always be around to cheer us up. Curse of the Starving Class may not necessarily be a feel good show, but it is a very empowering one. A perfect play for the times we’re in. It’s sure to be engaging from beginning to end.

---

For more information, please click here.

To post a comment, you must register and login.