Playhouse offers a bountiful ‘Picnic’

Tom Titus

Flavor and atmosphere, two elements often absent in community theater

productions, are present in abundance in the splendid revival of

William Inge’s masterwork “Picnic” at the Huntington Beach Playhouse.

Set in a rural back yard in the early 1950s, realistically

designed by James Gruessing, this timeless romantic drama benefits

from attention to atmospheric detail as much as from the sterling

performances under the meticulous direction of Terri Miller Schmidt.

We hear crickets chirping after dark, neighborhood dogs barking

intermittently and the sound of approaching cars, and their

headlights, individually differentiated depending on whose vehicle is

arriving.

About the only thing we don’t hear are the familiar strains of

“Moonglow,” the theme from the movie version of Inge’s play, which

also may be a statement of sorts -- We’re having our own “Picnic”

here, not William Holden’s or Kim Novak’s. Don’t look for any torn

shirts here, either.

Few plays capture the spirit, and the attitudes, of small-town

America quite as fully as “Picnic.” At Huntington Beach the restless,

nervously captive feelings clash significantly with those of the more

conventional characters so reluctant to rock their particular boats.

The central love story between the macho drifter, Hal Carter, and

the town beauty, Madge Owens, is fervently played out by David Farkas

and Heather Smith. The muscular Farkas inhabits the character of the

former football hero Hal with physical authority, tempered by his

uneasiness in social situations. He may not respect himself for

moving in on his best friend’s girl, but the fervor that motivates

him is overpowering, and Farkas plays this episode believably.

Smith requires more time to warm to her deceptively complex

character of a young woman reluctant to trade solely on her physical

charms, but once the impromptu romance is set in motion, she delivers

a strong and vibrant performance. The sparks between these two lovers

are firmly ignited and Smith’s final scene is riveting.

Jessica Jewett as Millie, Madge’s younger and brainier sister,

eschews the total tomboy image dictated by the script for a more

fiery intellectual choice, which dilutes her eventual blossoming late

in the first act, but her passion is splendidly displayed. Marsha

Collins excels as the girls’ mother, desperately trying to prevent

her eldest daughter from experiencing her own heartbreak.

As Rosemary, the spinster schoolteacher not as content with her

station as she professes, Sherryl Wynne notches a tentative but

eventually touching performance, though her climactic sequence could

benefit from more raw desperation. Tony Grande as her folksy,

tippling beau fits comfortably into a character whose chronic

discomfort is memorable in his closing scene.

Chad Bartulis as Alan, Madge’s wealthy boyfriend and Hal’s old

college chum overemphasizes the blandness of his character,

particularly when watching Madge and Hal embrace with almost glassy

nonchalance. Michelle Calhoun-Fitts enlivens the role of the neighbor

lady chained to an (unseen) demanding mother.

Rosemary’s fellow schoolteachers are nicely interpreted by

Mary-Pat Gonzalez as the loquacious, more experienced Irma and Sheree

Cottrill as the effervescent newcomer Christine. James Reagan as the

brash newsboy, Bomber requires some seasoning but spices up his brief

appearances.

“Picnic” may be a certifiable antique, but the emotional

transitions so skillfully defined by Inge remain a constant of the

human condition. The Huntington Beach Playhouse’s splendidly detailed

revival is one of the season’s more significant contributions.