Life's a 'Picnic' Life's a 'Picnic' (November 12, 2004)

Palo Alto Players deliver a solid rendering of Inge's classic play

by Jeanie Forte

William Inge's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Picnic," has charmed many audiences since its 1952 debut.

Some will also be familiar with the film version, starring a miscast William Holden. But if all you know is the movie, the play is actually far better -- tighter, more cohesive and more focused. That is what you will see, courtesy of the Palo Alto Players.

The story centers on a handful of rural Americans preparing for the neighborhood's annual Labor Day picnic, and how their narrowly defined lives are impacted by the appearance of a studly young drifter named Hal (Adam Ottley). Hal's lustiness and visible manhood starkly contrast with the drab routine and circumscribed lives of the women of all ages Hal meets there.

We learn that Helen Potts (Julie Masterson), the spinster who hires Hal to do odd jobs for her and her invalid mother, once made a bold escape from her suffocating life to elope with a Mr. Potts -- only to have her mother annul the marriage and drag her back home. We learn that Flo Owens (Rori Welling) once had a loving marriage that turned ugly because of her husband's drinking, philandering and ultimate disappearance.

And we learn that the schoolteacher who boards with Flo, Rosemary Sydney (Jackie O'Keefe), has been waiting most of her life for her man-friend, Howard (David Lischinsky), to get off his duff and ask her to marry him. The sad, rather desperate circumstances of these older women weigh heavily on the budding womanhood of Flo's two teenage daughters, Madge (Halsey Varady) and Millie (Christine Lida Sliva).

When Hal saunters in, flexing his muscles and oozing sexuality, he awakens dormant feelings in all the women. Like a spark to explosives, he sets off a series of events, and no one in town will be the same the next day.

All will have to face themselves in ways they have avoided for years. In a sense, Hal's vivacity holds up a mirror to show the others how small and repressed their own lives are, and they are drawn to the choice he represents: Do they choose life, in all its risk and vitality and glorious potential, or do they choose to remain repressed?

Hal's "call of the wild" for Flo's oldest, Madge, is particularly strong. Her desire for someone to see her as a real person and not just a beautiful mannequin is realized in Hal's earthy appraisal of her, something she never gets from her country club boyfriend, Alan (Adam R.T. Currier). Her choice becomes the central metaphor in the play, which challenges us to examine our own lives and the choices we make.

The current production is a solid rendering of the play that does it justice, with a beautiful set by Ron Gasparinetti and atmospheric lighting by Michael Palumbo. The acting ensemble works well together, bringing characters and relationships to light, creating sympathy for their small-town cares and woes in easy dialogue.

Varady and Ottley are especially touching in their roles, keeping this side of innocence in the emerging romance between Madge and Hal. Ottley manages to drop a somewhat clowning demeanor in time to make his approach to Madge believable, and lets us see some deeper emotional colors.

Ottley and Currier also do a good job of portraying the two very different young men of the play, while establishing an easy-going relationship between them. Currier's suavity, even in his walk, markedly contrasts with Ottley's swagger and physicality.

Welling's bitterly nostalgic Flo excellently captures the mirror image of Hal, as she wavers between love and fear for her daughters and wallows in her own loneliness. Her compelling portrayal unfortunately gets rushed at the end, and feels rather abruptly cut off. We need to first feel her triumph before we experience her reversal. The whole ending feels rushed, which truncates the emotional impact the piece could have.

Sliva is an excellent actress who gives a terrific effort as Millie, but she's really too old for the part. I'd love to see her in a more age-appropriate role. Given the discrepancy, her performance is quite likeable and hits the right emotional notes for Millie's growing pangs.

Also noteworthy are the performances of O'Keefe and Lischinsky as Rosemary and Howard, the older version of Madge and Hal. O'Keefe's desperation as Rosemary leads us to see her as a Madge who held out too long, and who now is reduced to begging to be taken seriously as a woman. Howard's reluctance to take the bait is charming and comical in Lischinsky's dry delivery. The dancing scene is particularly sweet, with simple but effective choreography by Shannon Stowe. When it all goes sour, O'Keefe makes an utterly believable transition and still keeps our sympathy for the character.

All in all, "Picnic" offers a credible and worthwhile experience, reminding us why Inge is one of the pillars of American theater.

What: William Inge's "Picnic," presented by the Palo Alto Players

Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto

When: Through Nov. 21. Show times are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Cost: Ticket prices are $24 for Wednesday and Thursday performances; $25 for Friday evenings; $27 for Saturday evenings; $22 for Sunday matinees.

Info: Please call (650) 329-0891 or visit www.paplayers.org.

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