Theater Review

WRVP ‘Ah, Wilderness!’ ‘Delightful’

By Charlie McMeekin

"A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,

A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread—and Thou

Beside me singing in the Wilderness—

Ah, Wilderness were Paradise enow!"—from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

It took playwright Eugene O’Neill five weeks to write his only comedy, "Ah, Wilderness!," less time than it took the White River Valley Players to get ready to perform it! And if you’re a fan of good theater, you’ll make sure to catch the results this weekend.

There are great joys in supporting community theater. One is celebrating familiar friends and neighbors as their talents shine in a new role.

The other is the anticipation of discovering a new talent in our midst. Both happened in Rochester during their opening weekend of the show.

Greg Crawford anchors the show as father of the Miller family, and his comfortable manner and easy laugh are familiar to any theater fan. He watches with bemusement as his family bumbles through their Fourth of July weekend in 1906 in New Haven, Conn. The bemusement is key, it’s the "Ah" in the title, for despite a threatening neighbor, a son whose main interest is being a rebel, a spinster aunt, an alcoholic employee, and a wife whose eccentric behavior is her only predictability, he realizes that he’s in a paradise of sorts, loving those he’s with.

Taking the "rookie" prize, the new gem in the bejeweled crown of talent for the Players, is Randolph’s Scott Rotman, who plays Sid Davis, a man who lost his chance to marry because he couldn’t lose his love for gambling and alcohol. Scott has to be the funniest drunk I’ve witnessed on stage, and O’Neill has given him lines that are original and witty. And just about the time you realize that you are celebrating as a man gives in to his addiction, Elaine Cissi as a very textured and touching Lily Miller brings you back to the tougher reality, but in a poignant and touching way.

"Ah, Wilderness!" is nostalgia at its finest, though at times the lines seem contemporary, not centennial. At one point early in the show, Doug Kingsbury as Richard Miller jumps up and shouts "All this talk about liberty when there is none! Land of the free, home of the brave? Land of the slave is more like it." That certainly sounds contemporary. And "Uncle Sid is the man who invented lobster" brings with it overtones of Al Gore and the internet!

The WRVP production is full of moments that delight and showcase an array of talented actors. Abe Doughty is near-perfect as he totally focuses on being an adolescent boy, his sister Hannah Doughty is tender and precious in her magical stage kiss, and Christine Meagher is supremely sensual as a floozy, quite the contrast from her upcoming role as the Abbess in Chandler’s "Sound of Music!"

There is not a weak performer in the group, and some of the credit for that must go to Jeanne Rogow as the artistic director. Many moments were finely crafted, and the physical comfort level the cast displayed speaks well for the rehearsal process.

When you go, make sure to appreciate the music as well. Dorothy Robson is backstage playing period pieces on the piano, and thanks to the combined efforts of Robson and Larry Hamberlin, the result is not just random turn-of-the-century music, but songs whose messages merge with what’s happening in the play.

It’s certainly no secret that I’m a big fan of community theater, and if this production is any gauge, this community is still vital and creative.

Performances continue May 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. and the run ends May 4 with a 2 p.m. matinee. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Judy Jensen’s Clay Studio and the White River Credit Union in Rochester village and by calling Jeremy Seeger at 767-3790 or Judy Jensen at 767-3271. They will also be sold at the door.

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