ROMANCE LANGUAGE run dates: 5/2/2008 - 5/11/2008 Potter Theatre, Augustana College, Rock Island ____________________________________________________________________________
Describing any play as "surrealist" is a sure-fire way to identify it as "not for everyone," and that is certainly true for ROMANCE LANGUAGE, which opened May 2 at Augustana College. It is most definitely surreal and it is not even close to being the kind of show that has broad appeal for the general public.
The fact that the show is about a series of largely-fictionalized random encounters between various American writers – and characters from a novel and historical figures – in the 1870s isn’t likely to widen the appeal of ROMANCE LANGUAGE much, either.
A particular interest in the work of Walt Whitman, Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau might draw you to the show (and being familiar with their writing will certainly make more of the jokes intelligible), but that is still no guarantee that the play as a whole will make any sense.
And, yes, there are jokes aplenty in the first act. It is true that – other than myself and a guest – it was primarily one small handful of people in the audience who were usually laughing aloud at the funny bits, but there are gems to find for folks who enjoy an ironic sort of scatological-literary humor. The very idea of jumbling up all these writers with some of their relatives, a Tahitian prince, a transgender barmaid, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, General George Armstrong Custer, stage legend Charlotte Cushman and an assortment of other characters is an ambitious undertaking, but I am far from convinced that playwright Peter Parnell has succeeded in getting some greater message across.
According to program notes, the show is about the American search for identity – but if the ultimate point of the show says something about what this country stands for, then the Act Two combination of hate crimes, suicide and a battlefield littered with dead bodies is a pretty sad commentary on the state of our nation. The jumble of confused characters wandering around on a giant flag – which follows the scenes where almost every character dies – is no more hopeful.
In the midst of this dismal perspective, there are a number of excellent actors giving very good performances. (To what end, some may ask…)
Brian Bengtson is great as a slightly daffy Whitman – wearing a cotton candy wig and beard – and his line readings are particularly fine. Katie McCarthy makes a pert and lively Huck, serving as a great foil for Bengtson’s role. David Cocks bellows many of Emerson’s lines, earning big laughs for nearly every one, and Jeff LaRocque’s brief appearance as a thoughtful Thoreau is well done.
Kyle Roggenbuck is terrific as Cushman, an egocentric actor who made her name with breeches roles and earned additional notoriety as the 1870s lesbian version of a "playa." Liz Stigler makes a strong and interesting Alcott, and Katie Wyant breathes deeply-felt emotion into her portrayal of Dickinson. As Emma Stebbins, one of Cushman's lovers, Rachel Krein also does powerful work.
Justin Schaller’s turn as Madam Nash is another excellent performance (and he provides one of the rare comic bits in the latter part of Act Two, as the then-dead Nash frequently uses both hands to hold her head atop her shoulders).
Scenic designer Ben Webb also makes a strong contribution with his set that consists almost exclusively of oversized books in various configurations, though his excellent eye and sense of proportion cannot give a narrative arc to the many strange scenes that take place on his lovely set.
If you’re still reading at this point, it should be clear that ROMANCE LANGUAGE is not for everyone – and should be equally clear whether or not the show will suit you. Interpret ROMANCE LANGUAGE at your own risk.
