Troupe unveils wild, rule-breaking production
By MICHAEL SMITH World Entertainment Writer 7/1/00
(From left) Heather Smith, George Addison and Morgan Belcher appear in the Midwestern Theater Troupe production of "Romolo the Great." KELLY KERR / Tulsa World
What with the 7-foot-tall puppet, pies in the face, R-rated material and script revisions that occur within the performance thanks to audience participation, Midwestern Theater Troupe's new original play, "Romolo the Great," is not your traditional Tulsa community theater fare.
And how refreshing this is.
Not that there aren't some local theater companies that are very good at what they do with mainstream material. And not that there isn't a company here and there -- Heller Theater springs quickly to mind -- that prides itself in presenting something different on a frequent basis.
But with John Cruncleton's group, they seem to revel in it. This was evidenced by an opening night showing of his play Thursday, where a group of actors performed as if they'd been unshackled and granted a kind of freedom that left the rules of the stage open to discussion.
The acting and direction was crisp and natural. It was obvious how pleased these actors were to be saying these lines and speaking their minds, leading one to believe that their improvisations heavily influenced the final product.
While the dialogue is wonderful, the story it serves doesn't quite match up. The group has made this a dynamic vehicle for creativity and physical comedy, but allowed the tale at its core to seem a bit perfunctory in its service to the show pieces.
These incidents are something akin to blasts of sound in a quiet library, or a car accident that abruptly interrupts the drive to grandma's house. A traditional monologue is halted more than once by stream-of-consciousness rants, sometimes directed at audience members, who are compelled to focus on the action for fear that they might be the next person asked to read from the script or have some prop slung in their direction.
This is a risky, avant-garde option, and it's fun.
Imagine a love triangle -- a circus owner's daughter and two brothers -- using the story of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, as a template. Boy meets girl and love blooms -- six years ago for Remo, who then ran away from the big-top life, and currently for Roman, the lion tamer.
Romolo, by the way, is the master showman and circus owner, and he's just died.
Remo returns in this mourning period, throwing a wrench in the already dysfunctional relationship between Roman and Sabine, portrayed by Cruncleton and his wife, Sara.
The pair clashes. Sabine offers an opportunity for Roman to acquiesce. He opts for deepening her wounds to save face and feed his ego. She is wounded, furthering her irritation at his games. He apologizes for this mistake, his latest of many. It's very real.
Their relationship is a circus, and everyone on stage is a clown -- three of the six actors literally so.
There are secrets -- largely predictable -- to be revealed in this mystical setting, but much of the play's unpredictable structure is open to interpretation by audience members. No one's likely to leave this play confused by its tragic message, but they may still find themselves walking out the door asking, "What just happened in there?"
Dale Sams is hilarious as Remo and shows an impeccable comic timing that is largely matched by clowns Heather Smith, George Addison and Morgan Belcher.
"Romolo the Great," which has mature themes, continues with 8 p.m. performances Saturday, Sunday and July 6-8 at the Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St. Parking is west of the theater, and the entrance is on Fourth Street. For ticket information, call 583-8487 [As of February 2007, 633-8666].
Michael Smith, World entertainment writer, can be reached at 581-8474 or via e-mail at michael.smith@tulsaworld.com.