RSSOh, What a Night!
May 20
There is a joy in new theater that is unique. You get to meet completely new characters in completely unpredictable situations. You get to see old friends playing those new roles. You get to see playwrights that are as proud as new papas and as nervous as first dates.
“Disfarmer” by Werner Trieschmann and “The Spiritualist” by Bob Ford debuted last night at the Arkansas New Play Fest at Nadine Baum Studios. That the plays went on at all was a tribute to the determination and resilience of a grieving theater community. That audiences laughed and listened was a tribute to the playwrights, directors and actors who brought the scripts to life without sets, costumes, music or lights.
“Disfarmer,” which has been on the New Play Fest stage before, is billed as the story of a reclusive photographer working in Heber Springs in the early part of the 20th century. In 2005, art dealers discovered his work, and in Trieschmann’s play, dispatched Vance (Drew Johnson) to buy as many photos as possible.
The play, in fact, is really about a Heber Springs “nobody” named Carlee, wonderfully played by Vickie Hilliard, and how she saw the Disfarmer photos as a way she could be important, sort of her 10 minutes of fame.
John T. Smith played an enigmatic Disfarmer, Bob Hart was hilarious in every role he took on, and Shannon Webber showed her talent by easily flipping from role to role.
Kudos to director Kate Frank for making us forget that it was a staged reading. Didn’t notice. Didn’t care.
Not having the accoutrements of a full production had more of an impact on Ford’s “The Spiritualist” because it’s a play that revolves around music. I spent a lot of time wishing for a piano — but by the same token, the duet by Amy Herzberg and Maury Reed was amazing!
The brand new script is about an Englishwoman in the 1970s who claimed she channeled the great composers — Liszt, Beethoven, Bach. An American newspaperman wants to prove she’s crazy or lying and challenges her to channel Buddy Holly — thus the duet between Herzberg as Rose and Reed as Holly.
It’s a fascinating story, based as “Disfarmer” is on real life. It’s harder to relate to, however. Everyone has had a portrait made. Not everyone speaks to spirits — or is intimately familiar with the great composers! (Playwright Bob Ford is; he has a master’s degree in music from Yale.) I might wish for more of a primer!
That said, what would I change about the evening? Not a thing, except to wish the well-filled house was sold out!
That’s a subtle way of suggesting you get out tonight, even if it is raining, and see Alan Berks’ “They Want” and John Walch’s “In the Book Of.” The first show starts at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are $7. It’s like seeing a baby born — without the wailing!