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Published on 10/02/1995 All articles from this issue

Theater review

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By Charlotte Krepismann

Special to the Town Crier

Actors shine in dark situation in 'Someone'

"Someone Who'll Watch Over Me," presented by TheatreWorks, immediately sets the tone of this somber but ultimately uplifting play by Frank McGuinness, through the use of a bare and dark set with a single bulb hanging from the high ceiling.

This ceiling sends our eyes up to a long staircase leading to a lighted door, which opens only when the unseen terrorists desire it to. The plot is simple: three men, Adam (James Tyrone Wallace II), an American doctor, Edward, an Irish journalist (Remi Sandri) and Michael, an English professor of literature (Bruce Williams), are captured and held hostage by a terrorist group in the Middle East.

The three men present very different attitudes and points of view, but as they live together in a miserable, stark cell, chained by one leg to a cell wall, they learn to reach out and care in order to survive. The play employs very short segments interrupted by blackouts to show passage of time. After one of these blackouts, we see that one man is missing. The other two grieve over what they presume to be his death, and fear even more for their own lives.

The acting is superb; all three men are members of Actor's Equity Association, with fine productions in their past. They share the spotlight of the audience equally as they develop their characters' growing strength to survive a grave situation by turning to bizarre humor, trembling fear, imaginative games and finally to the deep understanding that they must help one another.

It takes a staunch theater viewer to watch these scenes without tremendous sorrow. Not only does the gray, bleak set by Bruce McLeod perfectly suit the plot, but the lack of dramatic movement demanded by a play that "moves" mainly through dialogue builds an almost unbearable tension in an audience. The uplift comes from the opening song with Ella Fitzgerald's lovely voice offering solace in the words of "Someone to Watch Over Me," certainly the theme of the play.

The positive note struck by the strength of the three men to withstand the fear and uncertainty of their future tells us that human beings can overcome almost anything through compassion for one another. I like the message, but I found the "messenger" hard to take at times, despite the author's skill and the artistry of all involved in this production.

"Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" runs through Oct. 15 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mercy and Castro streets. For tickets and times, call 903-6000.