Fright night
By MICHAEL SMITH World Entertainment Writer 10/11/01
John Cruncleton, Ed Sullivan and Sara Cruncleton in a scene from the Theater Club of Tulsa production of "Seventy Scenes of Halloween." MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
You'll never think of candy corn in the same way after '70 Scenes of Halloween'
So what spooks you? The dark? Things that go bump in the night? Graveyards? Having a discussion about your emotions with your spouse?
That's the spirit of "Seventy Scenes of Halloween," a creepy, not-so-harmless comedy about a couple's disintegrating relationship presented by Theater Club, which promises that audience members attending its season opening play will never think about candy corn the same way again.
Director Jenny Jackson seems to have a firm grasp on what's really scary in this play, and it's not somebody dressed up in a white sheet. It's about a connection between two people that has died.
"I think the things that we traditionally think of as scary are being compared in the play to things that really are frightening -- that you could be married to someone and not be able to communicate with them, not know how they're really feeling, not be aware that they're unhappy, or that someone is having an affair," Jackson said.
"The couple has been together for nine years. What should be scary is hurting one another." Jeff and Joan ritually talk, eat, watch TV and misunderstand each other. But things are going to be different this Halloween: Their petty bickering is interrupted by two additional characters, a beast and a witch who essentially portray their alter egos, representing all the pent- up needs that are going unmet in this house.
Sound odd? Consider that this tale filters out literally over 70 separate scenes, about one to three minutes in length with blackouts between. Many make perfect sense; many do not. What do the beast and the witch want? What's up with that TV, and what are they watching?
Realism, symbolism, metaphor -- you have to use your imagination with this work by playwright Jeffrey M. Jones, whose last work produced locally was the what-the-heck-was-that "Crazy Plays" by Theaterworks for the 1995 Summerstage series.
But "open to interpretation" theater is just the way that Jackson -- and Theater Club, based on its tastes from its first season -- wants it.
"If there's a theme that I'd like people to get out of this, it would be `That was fun, and kind of disturbing, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get out of it, but I liked it,' " Jackson said, chuckling. "Maybe a little head-scratching as they come out of the theater."
In the spirit of the coming holiday, the price of admission is $1 off for those who choose to don costumes for the play, which stars John Cruncleton, Sara Cruncleton, Ed Sullivan, Liz Masters, Leigh Anne Winters and George Romero.
WHAT: Theater Club's presentation of "Seventy Scenes of Halloween"
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, also 8 p.m. Oct. 18-20
WHERE: Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St.
TICKETS: $8, a dollar off if attending in costume, call for reservations at 857-9154
Michael Smith, World entertainment writer, can be reached at 581-8474 or via e-mail at michael.smith@tulsaworld.com.