THE MELVILLE BOYS run dates: 4/18/2008 - 4/27/2008 The Green Room Theatre, Rock Island _______________________________________________________________________
In the short time since the young men who founded The Green Room Theatre produced their first show in their small Rock Island performance space, this organization has quickly gained a reputation for excellence. Every single show I have seen has been truly fine work, and the latest production, THE MELVILLE BOYS, is simply more of the same.
Directed by Donna Hare, this contemporary comedy covers a single transformative weekend in the lives of four people, and its mix of humor and emotion – a mixture which proves choppy in so many other shows – is a seamless, balanced blend that never loses its energy, not even for a second. Playwright Norm Foster has crafted a lean script that is bracingly real and near-brilliant in its simplicity, and in the deft hands of Hare and her terrific cast, the result is a truly great show.
Jonathan Gregoire and Andrew Harvey – both fantastic actors, obviously – play a pair of brothers who have traveled to a small lakeside cabin in northern Minnesota for a weekend of nothing much. A pair of local sisters – played by the talented Colleen Winters and Abby Van Gerpen – make an unexpected visit to the cabin, and the resulting connections and confrontations illuminate lives in transition. There aren’t any mystery-type surprises in the show, but the gradual unfolding of these characters’ stories is elegantly crafted enough that I prefer to leave much of the plotting for the (doubtless jam-packed) audiences to experience directly.
Suffice it to say that Owen, the impulsive younger brother played by Gregoire, takes an immediate shine to Loretta, the coquettish wannabe-starlet played by Van Gerpen. This immediate (and requited) attraction is the primary stimulus that turns what would have been a brief, awkward social call into a two-day weekend.
Gregoire (pictured at left, with Van Gerpen) makes a stunningly natural Owen, infusing the role with brash physicality and a dimwitted hubris that is at least as entertaining as it is endearing, and his strong performance is a perfect foil to the other characters. Van Gerpen’s effortless turn as the carefree Loretta is loaded with a wistful, pragmatic ambition that is immediately clear, and she gives more depth to this role than is written.
Harvey (shown in background, right, of cast photo at top of page) does excellent work as Lee, the more serious older brother. The performance is more understated but no less fabulous, and he uses quiet inflection to shed light on the depth of feeling and stress that Lee carries inside. Winters (shown in background, left, of cast photo at the top of the page) plays the tightly-wound Mary with just a trace of vulnerability, and her work in this slightly-stiff role is authentically human – a wonderful performance that speaks to the importance of new beginnings.
Hare, who also designed costumes and the set, makes full use of the compact performance space, rendering a detailed ordinariness that is the perfect backdrop for this great show. A fine sound track, put together by sound designer Louis Hare, weaves its way through the show.
Nicely paced throughout – but never rushed at all – THE MELVILLE BOYS is a must-see show. (What, you’re still reading? You should be buying a ticket before they are all snapped up! Get moving!)
THE MELVILLE BOYS
Gregoire (pictured at left, with Van Gerpen) makes a stunningly natural Owen, infusing the role with brash physicality and a dimwitted hubris that is at least as entertaining as it is endearing, and his strong performance is a perfect foil to the other characters. Van Gerpen’s effortless turn as the carefree Loretta is loaded with a wistful, pragmatic ambition that is immediately clear, and she gives more depth to this role than is written. 
