November 11, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Opening up 'The Drawer Boy'

by Jeanie Forte

"The Drawer Boy" is a lovely little gem of a play from new Canadian playwright Michael Healey that is currently enjoying a run on the Lucie Stern stage courtesy of Palo Alto Players.

Healey's bittersweet tale of loss, friendship, art, and survival lightly works upon your senses, tickling your funny bone and sneaking up on your emotions and grabbing you when least expected.

The play centrally concerns two older men, Morgan (Fred Sharkey) and Angus (Dan Roach), two farmers who live the certain routine of farm life, caring for each other and their animals with dedication and assurance. In walks Miles (Ricardo Rust), a young actor on tour with a company that is creating a "live history" kind of piece about farming and farmers to be performed locally. Miles asks if he may live with Morgan and Angus for a short time, to have a place to stay, but also to observe them and write a piece for the play.

Why Morgan agrees to let Miles stay is a bit of a mystery; presumably he needs help on the farm, since we learn early on that Angus is not too bright and apparently not much help with the chores. But the tasks Morgan gives Miles are made up, engineered as a kind of joke played on the unsuspecting city boy. From washing gravel to literally rotating the crops, each chore gets more and more outlandish until we're sure they're bogus. Yet Morgan insists that Miles is needed to help with the work. This running gag accounts for some of the quirky humor in the play.

Miles doesn't catch on to the joke until much later-- or if he does, he doesn't care, since what he learns about Morgan and Angus makes it worthwhile. He overhears a private story that Morgan tells Angus-- about their past, about their friendship, about a tragic loss and the healing salve of time and memory. It's a rich story, and Miles mines it for his theatre performance.

I can't tell more without revealing the intriguing twists and turns of the second act. The play is like a delicate flower gradually opening to reveal more and more of its heart. Healey explores several themes, including the relationship of the artist to his/her subject, the elusive nature of truth, and the will to survive -- but none more than the nature of deep, abiding friendship and its power to heal.

All are worthy themes, delivered with a light touch and Pinter-esque dialogue. Happily, this production is mostly up to its challenges. The acting, of just three actors, is quite strong. Roach and Sharkey believably portray two grown men quite accustomed to each other's habits and foibles, men who have created their own version of family. Roach's simple-minded Angus is delightfully child-like without unnecessary sentimentality. Sharkey carries figurative weight, making himself solid and grounded, and yet subject to endearing eruptions of vulnerability and softness.

Rust, a newcomer to the Bay Area, brings a fresh, natural demeanor to the character of Miles. His easy affability charms and seduces, even as we grow suspicious of his character's intentions. I look forward to seeing more of him on local stages.

Although the production overall hangs together, I was disappointed in the big moment of revelation, as it's rendered in anticlimactic fashion. Sharkey is an accomplished actor, quite capable of developing more significance for the moment in his long monologue that changes everything, but that impact isn't there for some reason. Instead one might wonder what the fuss was all about. The flatness of the climax carries through to the rather lackluster end, where Miles' final decision goes almost unnoticed. It's a shame that the promise of the first act isn't realized fully in the second.

Scenic and lighting design by Kuo-Hao Lo is complex and realistic, given the play's location requirements. Raking the stage works effectively without seeming gimmicky. Pat Tyler's properties design helps establish the spare, rural setting, and Cynthia Preciado's costumes enhance the characterizations. Sound design is an odd mix of styles and genres.

I enjoyed the chance to see this new play, one of the most produced nationally in recent years, and applaud Palo Alto Players on choosing it for their anniversary season.


What: "The Drawer Boy," a play by Michael Healey, presented by the Palo Alto Players


Where: At the Lucie Stern Theatre at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto


When: Through Nov. 20, with 8 p.m. shows Wednesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. matinees on Sundays


Cost: Tickets range from $22 to $27.


Info: Call (650) 329-0891 or go to www.paplayers.org.

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