Harvey Review

I went and saw Harvey last night up at the Neil Simon Festival in Cedar City for the second time. I feel I can give a review now since the first time I took my kids and was a bit distracted. I love my children, but it is hard to focus on a show when you repeatedly hear, "I have to go to the bathroom, I am thirsty, where's dad"?...etc. and on top of that there is a million questions from my five year old as to what is going on in the play. I will continue to take them to productions though because I feel it is valuable to them and I want them to share the same love that their dad and I have for the theater. Needless to say it was more relaxing to see the show with a bunch of theater friends. And from what I could tell the cast appreciated our verbal responses and our applause. After all it is a comedy and the laughter is a huge part of the experience. Mary Chase's script is charming, smart and delightful. There are many nuggets of truth within the dialogue and the cast does such a great job with the material and bringing those wonderful truths forward for the audience to ponder on, and perhaps explore in their own lives. Quotes like, "Years ago my mother said to me, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' For years I was smart. I recommend pleasant." or "I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.", are just some small examples of all the bits of wisdom and humorous truths that this charming play has to offer. There are some wonderful themes of family and an interesting look at the notion that if a person truly loves and cares for the other person they would do anything for them. In a nutshell the script is amazing and when one sees it performed by such a talented cast as this it makes for a brilliant and amusing night at the theater. First I was impressed by the set designed by Michael M. Harvey. It was one of the most functional sets I have ever seen for this production. The layout was all there with three performance areas on a thrust stage and it only took a lighting change and a few small props moved around to go from the Dowd residence to the sanitarium. This allowed the director, Susan Paige Lane, to play around with the magic the character of Harvey is capable of and use different props to overlap and appear in the different locations with ease. The first characters we are introduced to are Myrtle Mae (Kristen Henley) and Veta Louise Simmons (Anita "Jo" Lenhart), Elwood's niece and sister respectively. Miss Henley takes the gawky, extreme character of Myrtle Mae, who could easily be portrayed as more of a caricature, and is able to keep her honest but play up the physical comedy to the hilt. Jo Lenhart completes the comedy team as the 'straight man'. In some ways she is the complete opposite of her daughter. Such a lady and trying her best to cope with the dysfunction she sees around her in a world of perceived societal structure. Her Veta is strong, sweet and vulnerable and there is no doubt in the audiences' mind that she genuinely loves her brother. Elwood P. Dowd is played by Roger Dunbar. Need I say more? Those of you who have seen him perform on stage know that he is a delight to behold. His Elwood had so many different facets, he was so complete. I usually see an actor play this with all the positives that Elwood is. Mr. Dunbar was able to keep the audience in the palm of his hand while playing the weaknesses as well. I got more of the fact that Elwood is indeed an alcoholic and that he enjoys a bit of gossip. There were slight moments of irritation that were quickly replaced by harmony because that is how Elwood has learned to deal with the unpleasant things in life, he experiences them and then allows them to quickly roll off his back and go on with his agreeable attitude. Travis and Whitney Cox played Dr. Sanderson and Nurse Kelly. Whitney is always in the moment and has such a natural flow on stage. She is simply radiant as Nurse Kelly. Playing comedy is never an obstacle for her she plays all those moments with ease. Acting opposite Travis is an easy task. With built in chemistry these two create some great moments of sexual tension on the stage that bring countless laughs. Travis cuts quite a figure on stage and has all the arrogant authority needed for Sanderson. Eb Madson plays Wilson, and what a perfect casting choice this was! From the first moment he walks out on stage he doesn't even need to say a word to get a laugh. Like Miss Henley (Myrtle Mae), he keeps his character honest even with all of the bold physical comedy. When these two characters meet, the sparks fly and it is absolutely priceless! Susan Paige Lane directed their relationship well. They are so well matched, which is perfect because they are the only two characters in the show who are equally adamant about Harvey not being real. Dr. Chumley was played by the unforgettable Errol Jones. He is another actor that is so interesting to watch and he manages to get laughs on the most simple lines. Chrystine Potter Hyatt plays Mrs. Chumley the doctor's southern bell wife who is trying her best to fit into upper crust society. I love how she is completely taken by Elwood's charm, she just glows on the stage and her scene with Mr. Dunbar was most pleasing. Richard Bugg plays the authoritative Judge Gaffney. Again, Mr. Bugg has such a great presence on stage and is able to give this character the command and when necessary the comic timing needed. That is one great thing about repertory theater is that you have competent actor's who are the lead in one show and a supporting character in another. When seasoned actor's play the supporting roles it gives the production itself a lift. Like in most professional productions there really isn't a weak link. And that leads me to the final two cast members, Pamela Wilkinson as Mrs. Chauvenet and Jake Koeppl as E.J. Lofgren. Both actors had little stage time but made the right impression needed for their characters. This is a great production. The only thing that stood out to me that could have been improved upon were the costumes and hair design. I spoke with Roger about this and he said that the company has limited funds and resources, as is often the case, and that the costume and hair designer, Jasmine Milius, was unable to secure all she needed for this period piece. So, the result was a combination of the late 1940's meets the 1980's. Not a great combo, but it is forgivable to see the performances of this cast. I give it an A-