In unhurried ‘Harvey,’ the slow must go on -- and on

“As the evening wore on -- the evening wore on! That’s a nice expression. With your permission I’ll say it again. The evening wore on.” So says Elwood P. Dowd, the kindly man whose companion is an invisible white rabbit, in Mary Chase’s “Harvey.” He’s describing a night on the town with Harvey and Dr. Chumley, a psychiatrist who wants Dowd committed to his sanitarium.

Unfortunately, Dowd’s words also describe opening night of Charles Nelson Reilly’s staging of “Harvey” at Laguna Playhouse. The evening wore on. For three hours and 10 minutes.

That’s almost twice the length of the 1950 movie version. And it felt about an hour too long. Gentle whimsy does not fill a theater for much longer than two hours.

Reilly’s staging includes two intermissions, which was typical of Broadway plays of the time (1944) when “Harvey” was first produced. Nowadays, most directors figure out a way to do those plays with only one intermission.

The problem, however, goes beyond the number of intermissions. The nature of Elwood P. Dowd is that he is not a man to be rushed. He loves to digress. He loves to repeat himself. In moderation, these qualities can be charming, but they can become exasperating if a director isn’t holding them in check.

The casting of Charles Durning as Dowd aggravates this problem. In Chase’s script, Dowd is 47. In this production, that reference has been changed to “60 plus.” Durning is, in fact, 80.

True, the character has an ageless quality. Considering Durning’s girth as well as his age, he’s certainly spry. Occasionally he goes into little solo dance routines, which add a bit of dynamism to his performance but also add length to the evening. He musters a twinkle in his eye.

But his walk is often more of a waddle. His delivery of the lines is filled with little hesitations and “uhs.” Yes, we know that Jimmy Stewart, who played the same role in the movie, was famous for his patented stammer, among other attributes. But Durning also has some trouble projecting his voice; it sounds weak as well as hesitant. Durning’s deadpan innocence is amusing in most of the right places, but his performance needs more energy.

For sheer comedy, the star of the show is Joyce Van Patten as Dowd’s would-be social-climbing sister, Veta. This isn’t totally unexpected; Josephine Hull won an Oscar for playing the same role. At first Veta is filled with social pretension -- listen to Van Patten wax eloquently about how her house is “festooned” for a party. But mortification follows -- see Van Patten and Jill Van Velzer, as her daughter, hang their heads on each other’s shoulders as Dowd talks to Harvey in front of a grande dame (Pamela Gordon).

Van Patten’s best moment, however, is when she returns home after having been mistakenly committed to the mental institution in place of her brother. With one shoe missing and one stocking halfway off, her pretensions have vanished, and her bedraggled desperation is a hoot. Van Patten projects her lines beautifully.

Two other Van Pattens are in the cast. Dick Van Patten (Joyce’s brother) plays Dr. Chumley with the requisite nervous energy. His voice, however, sounds even closer to collapse than Durning’s.

James Van Patten, son of Dick, plays the rough-edged sanitarium orderly well enough -- and gets to juggle oranges in one of those moments that could be cut. Unfortunately, the orderly and the three other younger characters are matched off with each other, into romantic couples, in an exceedingly strained fashion. These actors aren’t able to add much credibility to the mismatches.

The writing is particularly awkward for the sanitarium’s pompous junior doctor (Stephen O’Mahoney) and the nurse (Erica Shaffer). Bickering is not necessarily a clue that a man and a woman are secretly attracted to each other; here, it never becomes a convincing subplot.

Producer Don Gregory hopes to take this production to Broadway, and the design elements look handsome enough. But it’s time for someone to take a red pencil to the script.

As it is, Chase’s plea for the importance of comprehending life’s invisible little virtues falls on impatient ears.

*

‘Harvey’

Where: Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

When: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.

Ends: Aug. 31

Price: $55-$62

Contact: (949) 497-2787

Running Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Charles Durning...Elwood P. Dowd

Joyce Van Patten...Veta Louise Simmons

Dick Van Patten...Dr. William Chumley

James Van Patten...Duane Wilson

Jill Van Velzer...Myrtle Mae Simmons

Pamela Gordon...Ethel Chauvenet

Erica Shaffer...Ruth Kelly

Stephen O’Mahoney...Dr. Lyman Sanderson

Leslie Easterbrook...Betty Chumley

Jack Betts...Judge Omar Gaffney

William H. Bassett...E.J. Lofgren

By Mary Chase. Directed by Charles Nelson Reilly. Sets by James Noone. Lighting by Ken Billington. Costumes by Noel Taylor. Sound by David Edwards. Production stage manager David Mingrino.