Seattle Review: Plainsong

Even some of the greatest books of all time weren't meant to be adapted for the stage. A great novel and a great play are two entirely different beasts. Soon into Book-It Repertory's adaptation of Kent Haruf's Plainsong, it becomes quite clear that this work isn't ripe for the theatre. While Plainsong may be a great read, it fails to pack a punch on the boards. 

Kevin McKeon's straightforward adaptation never captures the vividness of Harfuf's small Colorodo town. Full of intertwining stories, Plainsong takes us through the lives of people struggling to find and hold onto each other. We meet schoolteacher Tom Guthrie (McKeon), his two sons (Evan Jayne and Kellan Larson), Tom's lost colleague Maggie (Annie Lareau), her pregnant student Victoria (Joy Anuhea Medeiros), and the set-in-their-ways brothers who take her in (Wesley Rice and Clark Sandford). All have lost something, and cling to each other as they grieve the past while struggling to move forward. McKeon's treatment, coupled with Myra Platt's often pedestrian direction, never allows us to empathize.

This Plainsong simply lacks immediacy. We are given no real reason for following these particular people, and instead get a lot of plot shoved into a short time span. The company seems focused on the narration of the piece, which prevents themes from being realized. In a world full of important issues, this particular story seems simply unimportant. There are some dark twinges to this often sappy tale, but they are treated so mechanically that they are quickly forgotten. McKeon and Platt never justify why this is an important and necessary piece of theatre. 

Platt does manage to create some atmosphere, mostly in the non-verbal moments of transition. But her acting company has adopted a languid pace that often comes off as superficial and distant. The actors never find ownership of their roles, and don't appear to be passionate about the work they are doing. The energy is quite low, with a lot of one-dimensional choices favored over truthful moments. The actors never fully acknowledge each other, resulting in a company that doesn't seem quite on the same page. They seem more focused on executing their stage business.

There is an awful lot of inconsistent miming of objects, which doesn't necessarily work for this particular piece. Actors "eat" off of foodless plates, Xerox from an imaginary machine, drive with size-changing steering wheels, and wash their hands from an always moving sink. These inconsistencies are quite noticeable, and prevent us from believing anything that is happening on stage. There are also several lengthy scenes where actors mime livestock.  Again, the animals change size quickly, and all suspension of disbelief is lost. Some props are real though, which often makes the miming even more superficial.  Most curious of all is the decision to pretend to light actual cigarettes, and then pretend to smoke them. While the smoking bans are quite obvious, it seems that some other substitute could have been achieved. All of these small complaints add up quickly, and take us even further out of this world.

Book-It's trademark use of narration doesn't seem as powerful as it has in past productions. Again, the plot gets more attention than anything else, and many of Haruf's descriptions are lost. One leaves Plainsong thinking about what happened rather than what it's all about. Some themes are slightly visible, but they never seem too crucial.  

Medeiros' performance is the best of the lot, though she is stronger in the first half. She probably suffers the most from the adaptation, and fights against the confines of the script. Medeiros seems willing to take risks, but the opportunity isn't present here. As the McPherson brothers, Rice and Sandford get a lot of laughs, but often avoid relating to each other honestly. We never quite see why these two brothers have spent their entire lives together without marrying. Instead, we get more of a comical approach to solitude. McKeon performs Guthrie at a very relaxed pace, and often appears to be going through the motions. Lareau is quite good as Maggie Jones, but lacks any palpable chemistry with McKeon. She does show many more layers than most of the company. Lareau allows her audience into her head, while others seem to be keeping us at a healthy distance. Daniel Brockley is appropriately dangerous as Victoria/>/>'s beau Dwayne, and brings a spark to all of his scenes. The moments between Brockley and Medeiros come closest to being rooted in truth. The remaining ensemble is unable to convince in their multiple roles. Plainsong often feels like a workshop rather than a fully realized evening of important theatre. 

Bill Forrester's mural heavy set design is quite lovely, and manages to create an inkling of a mood in an often cold production. It would have been nice to see more set pieces here, as they seem so crucial to giving vibrancy to the material. The limits of this company seem obvious, with creative solutions absent.

Platt and McKeon write quite convincingly about their passion for Plainsong in the show's program. That passion doesn't translate in this empty production full of distractions and doldrums. This quaint story never finds importance on the Book-It stage. With all of the rich texts they have yet to cover, this seems to be a very safe choice. In a time where theatre can incite change in its audience, Plainsong seems quite pointless. 

Plainsong runs through March 5^th at the Seattle Center House Theatre. For tickets call (206) 216-0833, or visit www.book-it.org  

 

Photo: Joy Anuhea Medeiros as Victoria/>/> and Daniel Brockley as Dwayne. Photo by Erik Stuhaug

 

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