The AU Players' latest production of the post-9/11 play "The Sleeper" confronts the aftermath of the tragedy and explores the social impact it had on people now living in a changed world.
When Bill, played by Roddy Flynn, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, confronts his wife about living her life as if she's in a cocoon, he doesn't realize that every character in "The Sleeper" lives in the same cocoon, whether it be one of ignorance, naivet?, selfishness or emotional blindness. The show takes place in the post-9/11 climate of the spring of 2003 and portrays the life of a housewife named Gretchen, played by Maggie Parker, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The play will be performed in the Tavern this weekend and audiences should not expect to be greeted by lavish sets or entirely discrete characters. But Ariana Hodes, a sophomore in CAS and the director of the play, emphasized that these decisions were made intentionally.
The performance's minimalism "enables [the audience] to focus on the actions of the individuals and their characters," Hodes said.
Double casting of certain roles allows the audience to see that although the characters are "different people, they have the same stereotypes," Hodes said.
"The show is all about stereotypes, but there are subtleties that are undercurrents to our society," she said.
The ease with which the audience can identify with the characters was part of why Hodes chose the play for this season.
"She [the playwright] is showing us ourselves in a different light. She really was able to capture that paranoid atmosphere without being judgmental of it," Hodes said.
The double casting also highlights the similar functions of two characters. For instance, one person, Emily Dickens, a senior in CAS, plays the therapist and prison guard because they have the same purpose in Gretchen's life, according to Flynn.
Although these techniques sharpen the focus on the individual actors and their motivations, they also highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the cast by placing the entire weight of the performance squarely on their shoulders.
The flawless performances of Flynn and Maggie Pangrazio, a junior in CAS and the School of Communication, as Gretchen's sister Vivian, stand out as the highlights of the show. Both bring an irresistible and effortless humor to the potentially dark subject matter through their expressive gestures, careful intonation and vivid facial expressions.
Their characters' interaction occurs primarily in asides that often reveal much more than the characters intend about both themselves and the euphemisms and nature of American society. While at times their characters' actions seem absurd, one must remember the complexity that lies beneath them and the emotion the historic setting hopes to recreate.
Not everyone in the cast can live up to the standard set by Pangrazio and Flynn. Parker portrays Gretchen's multifaceted character well and shines in scenes with Bill and Vivian, but becomes a bit one-dimensional when sharing intimate conversations with her lover Matt, played by Danitha Amarawardana, a senior in CAS and SOC.
In turn, Matt's character is awkward and not nearly passionate enough about his convictions or his lover, though the potential for the character is high if Amarawardana can assert himself more strongly and capture the intensity his character should have.
Though the stereotypes might depict the characters as flat and static, the cast does a great job of ensuring that the audience can see the many aspects of those characters that are forgotten in an atmosphere charged with paranoia.
"They've got you just where they want you," Bill says in the play, referring to his wife's nearly overwhelming fear. Her paranoia comes from her innocent and unquestioning trust of the government and her husband, and it is fiercely challenged by her affair with Matt.
"[Gretchen] goes into the world so fast that she is overwhelmed," Flynn said.
"I don't know if she necessarily grows [through the experience], but she definitely changes," he said.
Gretchen's own progression challenges the audience to look beyond simple fear and stereotypes that are spoon-fed to them by media outlets and the government by reflecting upon its own changes in and reactions to the post-9/11 world.
AU Players' production of "The Sleeper" will be a crowd-pleaser during its two shows in the Tavern. The audience can expect Flynn and Pangrazio to be especially impressive in their roles, and the rest of the cast provide solid support with their performances. If the rest of their season is this good, AU can look forward to some great theater.
The next AU Players production will be the musical "Big Love," an adaptation of "The Danaids" written by Charles Mee.
Eagle Staff Writer Vanessa C. Mueller
contributed to this report.
