Remember when you were told, or you told someone else ‘not to
talk to strangers’? Peter (Phil Johnson) didn’t get the message. Either he was
too busy being wrapped up in himself, or he just plain forgot.
Edward Albee’s 1959 “Zoo Story”, now considered an American classic,
is currently in powerful and intense production staged by Backyard Renaissance
Theatre Company through July 29th at the at the home of Diversionary
Theatre.
This season three year old Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company has been selected as La Jolla Playhouse’s 2018-2019 Resident
Theatre. For at least one year Backyard will have a place to call home. Yea!
Francis Gercke (L) and Phil Johnson |
Albee’s "Zoo Story” can get under your skin for a variety of
reasons not the least of which is the title. What picture you might conjure up
of a zoo is no doubt different than mine. So lets take this dark ride into
Albee’s assertions of zoo's and animals together.
Under the skillful direction of Rosina Reynolds, who steers
this production with perfection, the play and players, two men meet as casual strangers (or not) in New York’s Central Park. P: “I sit
on this bench almost every Sunday.”
One wants to ‘talk’ the other wants to read. One feels
entitled the other has nothing but a few broken or worn out 'things'. Over the course of less than an hour the
play builds to a crescendo of emotions taking us down a path no one would have
expected, or anticipated.
Peter is clean -shaven, well–dressed in a tan corduroy sports
jacket, checkered shirt and bowtie, brown shoes and bluish trousers. (Jessica
John Gercke reimages a 50’s look beautifully). He is married, has two
daughters, two cats, and two parakeets, wears glasses, smokes a pipe, is an
advertising executive and lives in an upper class neighborhood.
One might say he is living the dream. But living a dream to
me might not be the same as it is to Peter. Today he wants to be left alone. In
fact he is a solitary man, quiet, soft spoken and gentle but no one really
knows what lies beneath.
Johnson and Gercke |
Jerry’s isolation is a different type of isolation than let’s
say Peter’s. He yearns for someone to connect with while Peter doesn’t need the
connection. There is no yin to another’s yang; they are as different as night
is to day and with absolutely no meeting of the minds.
Something, though in their individual id brings them together and it
brings out the animal instinct in each.
Jerry approaches Peter, who, at first turns his back on him,
but Jerry won’t go away. He tells him he’s been to the zoo and ‘that Peter will
read about it in the paper the next day 'or see it on TV news'. That gets
Peter’s attention.
A day at the Zoo |
When Peter has had enough and gets up to leave Jerry stops him and insists on
having Peter get off the bench so he can have it. In a twist of irrational possessiveness Peter
will not let go of the bench claiming it was his before Jerry got there and it
belongs to him now. (J: “You have everything, and now you want this park bench.”) When Jerry pulls out a knife and eggs Peter on to engage in a fight, breathing stopped and a gasp ran through the house.
Both men live out their characters’ personalities to the ‘nth
degree. Johnson’s seemingly passive resistance or aggressive to Jerry’s openly aggressiveness
matches his body language. We can tell just by an expression, a simple move
one-way or the other what he is thinking, how he’s absorbing Jerry’s words;
maybe he seems to agree with what he hears. At other times he’s annoyed, yet he
can’t seem to move away from what he must feel as danger. Fatal attraction?
In Gercke we have the penetrating, concentrated and powerful
intentions of a man with a goal. There is nothing unintended about him or in
his marvelous performance. Straight forward? Not so much. Round about,
convoluted and calculated, well choreographed as much as possible for him to
put his exit plan into play? Yes
Set designer Justin Humphries leave the actor’s two options
or two benches and a small grassy area for Gercke to pace around. Alex Crocker’s lighting with Matt
Lescault-Woods sound design, the Central Park Zoo couldn’t have been further
away from us, unless you count the two animals fighting over a park bench on a Sunday
at the Zoo.
This early one act essay of Albee’s work doesn’t get produced
often enough these days for several reasons; high tech, original (nothing wrong
with that) and or big money making musicals that might bring in profits if they
make it to Broadway. However presenting a slice of life that is as true today
as it was in the ‘50’s is just as valuable, or more so to make a point and a
truth that the more things change the more they stay the same.
And the thing about talking to strangers? Well, if the shoe
fits...
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through July 29th
Organization: Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company
Phone: 619-977-0999
Production Type: Drama
Where: 4545 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92116
Ticket Prices: From $18.00 to $35.00
Web: backyardrenaissance.com
Venue: Diversionary Theatre
Photo: Daren Scot
Nice post! This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to more times this year! This article is really fantastic and thanks for sharing the valuable post.
ReplyDeletesales notifications, pop website, autoketing
Nice post! This is a very nice blog that I will definitively come back to more times this year! This article is really fantastic and thanks for sharing the valuable post.
ReplyDeletesales pop master app, recent sales notification popup, autoketing app
Good article. But it would be better if in future you can share more about this subject.
ReplyDeleteapps autoketing
shipping bar shopify
App Shipping Bar Master
autoketing
ReplyDeleteemail with love download
email with love by autoketing
I feel good when reading your posts. Those are what I want to know. Thank you for introducing useful information to us
Discount master, Create Discount master, autoketing
ReplyDeleteWow I can say that this is another great article as expected of this blog.Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Thank you for providing this info.
ReplyDeleteabcya online games
friv land now
iogames for school
Wow, cool post. I’d like to write like this too – taking time and real hard work to make a great article… but I put things off too much and never seem to get started. Thanks though.
ReplyDeletefriv10games club online games, kizi-2018 free games, gogy xyz for school
Great content material and great layout. Your website deserves all of the positive feedback it’s been getting.
ReplyDeletedynamons world club free games , my friend pedro club for school , pixel gun apocalypse 3 ,
I recently found many useful information in your website especially this blog page. Among the lots of comments on your articles. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteFree Crime city 3d 2 games
Games Flyordieio
The story of cinderella Games unblocked
4 player sheep party games
ReplyDeleteGunmaster onslaught games for kid
Colorzzle games to play
This is a great inspiring article.I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. Keep blogging. Looking to reading your next post.
i never know the use of adobe shadow until i saw this post. thank you for this! this is very helpful
ReplyDeletemr dubstepunblocked games , moto x3m 4 winter for girls , santa claus jumpfree ,
This particular is usually apparently essential and moreover outstanding truth along with for sure fair-minded and moreover admittedly useful My business is looking to find in advance designed for this specific useful stuffs
ReplyDeletegame bob the robber 4 japan , fireboy and watergirl 4 online , mario banzai free ,
Fire truck crazy race free
ReplyDeleteFree unblock the ball
Games princess and adult princess
Delight maintain this approach awesome succeed and additionally Document wait for a great deal more on your stunning blog posts. I just want to let you know that I just check out your site and I find it very interesting and informative.
jogo io online
ReplyDeletefree online friv Games
play 2 player games
I don’t usually comment but I gotta state thanks for the post on this great one. I feel good when reading your posts. Those are what I want to know. Thank you for introducing useful information to us
You made such an interesting piece to read, giving every subject enlightenment for us to gain knowledge. Thanks for sharing the such information with us to read this.
ReplyDeleteminiclip motorbike games, play free a10 game, Friv Jogos
ReplyDeletefood games 2019
play basketball games
soccer games play
ou made such an interesting piece to read, giving every subject enlightenment for us to gain knowledge. Thanks for sharing the such information with us to read this.
ReplyDeleteResort Empire online games 2019
Yuki And Rina Football games
Power Cricket T20 free online
I think it could be more general if you get a football sports activity