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By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 06:04 p.m. EDT, Apr 29, 2009
Actor Jim Viront has truly come into his own with his emotionally nuanced one-man show Wrecks, now playing at the Bang and the Clatter Theatre in Akron.
Viront, best known for playing characters of extreme lunacy or villainy for this small professional company, demonstrates what a stunning range he possesses playing widower Edward Carr, whom playwright Neil LaBute has penned as seemingly ordinary.
In the past, I've wondered if Viront may be a one-note performer with the raging lunatic/sicko roles he's played in Grillers, The Late Henry Moss and Betsy's Summer Vacation at BNC as well as in Angels in America/Perestroika at Weathervane.
He's broken out of that mold in Wrecks, under the taut direction of director Sean McConaha. Carr has just lost his beloved wife to cancer and he delivers his stream-of-conscious, grieving thoughts to the audience, commenting on how he's conducting himself at calling hours and offering insight into the great love he and his wife shared.
At one point, I wondered where this nice little story was going, which proves how well both Viront and LaBute hold us in the palm of their hands.
Was it possible that the vitriolic American playwright LaBute, who holds a mirror up to the ugliest side of human nature, wasn't going to throw a wrench into things? That actually would have been a letdown.
LaBute has been a longtime favorite at BNC, with this play being the theater's fifth piece after Fat Pig, Some Girls, This is How It Goes and In a Dark, Dark House. All offer dark humor and provocatively unsettling questions, and often feature male characters who are misogynistic/misanthropic.
Wrecks is a different animal because it's not immediately in-your-face. As Carr slowly unfolds elements of his life, putting together pieces of the puzzle is an enjoyable experience for the audience, which serves as the character's confessional. When Viront's Carr explodes with short bursts of anger, we see that more lies beneath this widower's surface than originally thought.
The piece premiered in 2005 in Cork, Ireland, and opened in 2006 at New York's Public Theater, both starring Ed Harris.
At BNC, Viront expertly switches from speaking in hushed mourning tones to raging onstage. His chain-smoking character goes from weakly clinging to the back of a chair during a paroxysm of coughing to bellowing in anger, and then back to his gentlemanly self.
In the program notes, the actor recognizes what a dream opportunity he has starring in a one-man show. He has finely honed this memorable role with the help of McConaha, exhibiting excellent control through his character's emotional highs and lows.
Is Edward the ultimate romantic with lovely, old-fashioned values, despite some of his tough talk?
The play has a sucker-punch twist that erupts into questions about truth, the nature of love, morality and the very human tendency to judge others. The surprise factor is well worth the wait.
LaBute has a brilliant way of making us empathize with his character, no matter what shocking heights he may bring us to. The playwright is known to believe that even the most upstanding individuals have dirty secrets.
Audience members should pay attention to all of Carr's seemingly rambling details early on, which are cagily embedded as clues to later twisted revelations. LaBute's one smart, insightful, angry artist, with even his character's name and the title of his play proving to be symbolic.
Details
One-man show: Wrecks
When: Continuing through May 9, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays
Where: Bang and the Clatter Theatre, 51 E. Market St., Akron
Onstage: Jim Viront
Offstage: Sean McConaha, director; Rachel Lones, stage manager; Sean Derry, Alanna Romansky, set construction
Tickets: $15; students and senior citizens pay as you can
Information: 330-606-5317
Theater writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
Actor Jim Viront has truly come into his own with his emotionally nuanced one-man show Wrecks, now playing at the Bang and the Clatter Theatre in Akron.
Viront, best known for playing characters of extreme lunacy or villainy for this small professional company, demonstrates what a stunning range he possesses playing widower Edward Carr, whom playwright Neil LaBute has penned as seemingly ordinary.
In the past, I've wondered if Viront may be a one-note performer with the raging lunatic/sicko roles he's played in Grillers, The Late Henry Moss and Betsy's Summer Vacation at BNC as well as in Angels in America/Perestroika at Weathervane.
He's broken out of that mold in Wrecks, under the taut direction of director Sean McConaha. Carr has just lost his beloved wife to cancer and he delivers his stream-of-conscious, grieving thoughts to the audience, commenting on how he's conducting himself at calling hours and offering insight into the great love he and his wife shared.
At one point, I wondered where this nice little story was going, which proves how well both Viront and LaBute hold us in the palm of their hands.
Was it possible that the vitriolic American playwright LaBute, who holds a mirror up to the ugliest side of human nature, wasn't going to throw a wrench into things? That actually would have been a letdown.
LaBute has been a longtime favorite at BNC, with this play being the theater's fifth piece after Fat Pig, Some Girls, This is How It Goes and In a Dark, Dark House. All offer dark humor and provocatively unsettling questions, and often feature male characters who are misogynistic/misanthropic.
Wrecks is a different animal because it's not immediately in-your-face. As Carr slowly unfolds elements of his life, putting together pieces of the puzzle is an enjoyable experience for the audience, which serves as the character's confessional. When Viront's Carr explodes with short bursts of anger, we see that more lies beneath this widower's surface than originally thought.
The piece premiered in 2005 in Cork, Ireland, and opened in 2006 at New York's Public Theater, both starring Ed Harris.
At BNC, Viront expertly switches from speaking in hushed mourning tones to raging onstage. His chain-smoking character goes from weakly clinging to the back of a chair during a paroxysm of coughing to bellowing in anger, and then back to his gentlemanly self.
In the program notes, the actor recognizes what a dream opportunity he has starring in a one-man show. He has finely honed this memorable role with the help of McConaha, exhibiting excellent control through his character's emotional highs and lows.
Is Edward the ultimate romantic with lovely, old-fashioned values, despite some of his tough talk?
The play has a sucker-punch twist that erupts into questions about truth, the nature of love, morality and the very human tendency to judge others. The surprise factor is well worth the wait.
LaBute has a brilliant way of making us empathize with his character, no matter what shocking heights he may bring us to. The playwright is known to believe that even the most upstanding individuals have dirty secrets.
Audience members should pay attention to all of Carr's seemingly rambling details early on, which are cagily embedded as clues to later twisted revelations. LaBute's one smart, insightful, angry artist, with even his character's name and the title of his play proving to be symbolic.
Details
One-man show: Wrecks
When: Continuing through May 9, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays
Where: Bang and the Clatter Theatre, 51 E. Market St., Akron
Onstage: Jim Viront
Offstage: Sean McConaha, director; Rachel Lones, stage manager; Sean Derry, Alanna Romansky, set construction
Tickets: $15; students and senior citizens pay as you can
Information: 330-606-5317
Theater writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Canton, OH
Posted 06:16 PM, 04/29/2009
YAWN. . .
