By LARRY ADAMS
A Seat on the Aisle
“What we need to do is have a big conversation!” – Kevin
“I mean, if you’re a hero, that implies a villain, right?” – Teresa
A day later, I’m still not quite sure what to think of American Lives Theatre’s (ALT) most recent offering.
Well, other than it being one of the best acted, best directed and most thought-provoking shows I have ever seen on an Indy area stage or elsewhere, as well as being perhaps the boldest show choice I can possibly imagine in the modern era. There’s that, I guess.
Heroes of the Fourth Turning, the Pulitzer Prize nominated creation of playwright Will Arbery, centers on four young, deeply religious and conservative friends who have returned to their college town in Wyoming for a party honoring the new president of Transfiguration College. The Charlottesville riot lies just one week in the past, while a solar eclipse awaits tantalizingly – or perhaps forebodingly – only two days in the future.
As the party dies down and the alcohol begins to flow around the firepit, the friends in various combinations do indeed have a “big conversation” – about politics, of course, but also about religion, friendship, betrayal, empathy, suffering, success and failure, strength and weakness, righteous resolve in the face of a coming war and aimless wandering in the desert of an unfulfilled life.
There are moments of laugh-out-loud humor, but also ominous flashes of a disturbing and building darkness; a foundation of genuine love and camaraderie, but one repeatedly shaken by spasms of jealousy, disappointment, and bitter disagreement. There is intelligence, and ignorance, and frailty, and nuance. In short, there is Truth – not necessarily in their views and opinions, but in their humanity.
In a brief conversation after the curtain, ALT’s artistic director, Chris Saunders, told me that he was drawn to Heroes because it fit perfectly with American Lives Theatre’s mission.
“It presents a layered and complex portrayal of a voice not often heard coming from the American stage,” he offered. “It’s a different view of conservatives than has ever been seen onstage.”
These are, of course, profound understatements. As someone with over three decades of involvement with the arts and at least a passing awareness of the current state of the entertainment industry, I must admit I went into the show thinking any message more complimentary than “Well, maybe they’re not all literally Hitler after all” would be nothing short of a theatrical Christmas miracle. What I got, however, was much more than just that.
Instead of a stereotypical bunch of mustache-twirling, melodrama villains or vapid, overtly racist and misogynistic rednecks, Heroes presents a surprisingly fully fleshed-out portrait of thoughtful and intelligent people, with all their glorious failures and flaws, struggling to answer the big questions of their lives – sometimes succeeding brilliantly, sometimes failing miserably.
Villains? I don’t think there really are any here. Heroes? Well, I’m still not quite sure what to think about that either.
What’s certain, however, is the strength of ALT’s production of this show in literally every aspect. The beautifully evocative alley stage, with set design by Daniel McCullough and lighting design by Tim Dick, sets the tone perfectly even before the opening scene. Alley staging is at best a theatrical challenge and at worst a blocking nightmare, but when successfully employed as it is here, draws the audience into the reality of the characters’ world in a way that is simply not possible with the more traditional end or proscenium staging.
As nicely executed as this is, however, Heroes is truly an actors’ showcase. Playwright Arbery is an absolute maestro when it comes to language, but it takes an extremely skilled cast and director to carry such a heavy script successfully from the page to the stage; in lesser hands, an audience could be forgiven for feeling that this rather wordy piece suffers from the literary equivalent of Amadeus’s “too many notes.”
Fortunately, this talented cast consisting of Taylor Cox, Gigi Jennewein, Tyler Lyons, Devan Mathias and Morgan Morton, under the inspired direction of Andrew Kramer, is more than up to the challenge. The effortless overlapping of dialogue, the pacing, the natural flow of movement of characters about the space, and the seemingly rare ability of these players to act at all times without looking as if they’re acting all add up to a realism that is absolutely essential to the success of this play.
It’s hard to pick favorites in such an exceptional group, but Taylor Cox, as the drunk and lost soul Kevin, and Morgan Morton as Teresa, the fiercely intellectual young blogger, were standouts on this particular night. I had seen Cox several years back in a stunning production of Equus, and based now on my observation of this second emotionally and physically exhausting role, I can confidently advise you to buy a ticket to whatever he’s in from here on out. Morton deftly navigates the emotional extremes from an initially rapid-fire, cold uber-confidence to an almost child-like shock and hurt after a climactic reprimand by her mentor and role model, highlighting her as a theatrical force to be reckoned with.
I can only imagine the flak ALT may have opened itself up to in presenting this work, and I tip my hat to their courage and willingness to suffer the slings and arrows in the pursuit of taking their mission seriously. But let me be clear: Heroes is NOT an endorsement of conservatism. It presents a PICTURE of conservatives and conservatism to be sure, but offers few judgements one way or the other. And it is about so much more than just politics.
After nearly two hours spent mesmerized by this production, I could not begin to tell you on which side of the aisle Arbery leans, and I’m certain I don’t care. As with all good art, audience members will absorb this piece and then interpret it through their own individual lenses, finding its meaning in whatever speaks to them personally – reinforcing some preconceived notions no doubt, but also, and more importantly, challenging others – leaving the theatre, I hope, not quite sure what to think.
“This is the problem,” observes Teresa midway through the play. “No one knows how to debate, we literally can’t hear each other.” If ever there were a more apt summation of the problems in which we find our society today, I haven’t heard it. But ALT is having none of it with this production.
“The play is a lovely beast – it asks for mental athleticism from everyone involved. That includes the audience. It demands engagement. It’s a challenge, but a challenge that rewards,” said director Andrew Kramer. “I love it when a play feels smarter than me.”
Heroes of the Fourth Turning truly is smarter than me, and this cast and crew live up to every ounce of its intelligence. I suspect I could watch it every night of its run and find something new- about its characters and both their firm beliefs and their sometimes-shaky conclusions, about its themes, and about their application to my life. Because after just one viewing, I’m still not sure what to think of it – but think of it I have and will. And in theater sometimes – maybe most of the time – that’s a good thing.
American Lives Theatre’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning runs at Basile Theatre in the IndyFringe Theatre through Jan. 28. Ticket information can be found at americanlivestheatre.org.
Read more great play reviews from A Seat on the Aisle at asota.wordpress.com.