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Fugard celebrates life in the theater

Relationships in the theater are often fleeting. Actors are cast in a show, they become fast friends and then they go their separate ways – in many cases, never to cross paths again. In "Exits and Entrances," now at Ann Arbor's Performance Network Theatre, two actors – one sliding towards the end of an illustrious career and the other just beginning his – share more than just a dressing room and a stage. And while the play tells the true story of playwright Athol Fugard's early days as a novice actor and struggling writer and the relationship he forms with fading star Andre Huguenet, a modern-day parallel can be drawn between the two similar actors who play those roles in the Network's much anticipated production.
And THAT'S what makes director David Wolber's vision of "Exits and Entrances" so fascinating.
Fugard's story begins in Cape Town at the age of 24 when The Playwright (as he's called) makes his professional acting debut in a 1956 production of "Oedipus Rex" starring the acclaimed South African Afrikaans actor. (He also serves as the elder thespian's dresser.) Andre, a gay and larger-than-life personality whose affectations are part of his charm, is in his 30th year on stage – but the failing show threatens his financial security. Yet the celebrated actor's love of the theater – his home – transcends all else, which strikes a chord with the up-and-coming Playwright.
The two lose contact once the show closes, but five years later The Playwright learns his mentor is back on stage in "The Prisoner." So he attends a performance and greets Andre after the show. What he finds surprises him.
Like their scripted counterparts, Kevin T. Young (The Playwright) and Robert Grossman (Andre) had never met prior to this production. Yet their chemistry on stage and the respect for one another offstage (observed during a recent interview) transform this piece from a short, pleasant but not totally satisfying autobiography into a riveting character study in which the skills of the performers transcend the words of the author. (It's a chatty script with little conflict or dramatic tension until late in the show. Plus, its fuzzy focus on South African history might be of little interest to 21st-century American theatergoers.)
Young, as the show's narrator, delivers his lines with a near-flawless accent, and his concentration is exceptional throughout. (You can tell he's actually listening to every word Grossman utters.) It's a subtle, reflective role, which Young captures quite well.
Grossman, however, has been handed not one meaty role, but several; for within the span of 85 minutes, he gets to bring snippets of Oedipus, Cardinal Mindszenty and Hamlet to life as well – and watching Grossman tackle each is what his fans have been eagerly anticipating.
They certainly won't be disappointed, as Grossman offers a master's class in acting technique with his standout performance. Each character is totally unique, and his transitions from one to another are amazingly quick and apparent.
But most impressive is his delivery of Hamlet's famous soliloquy, "To be or not to be." Beaten down by a quickly-transforming society that no longer holds a place for him, Andre has come to accept the "calamity of too long a life" – and Grossman's interpretation gives meaning to the character's pending demise.
Monika Essen's Spartan set is fine, and Mary Cole's lighting is effective throughout.

REVIEW:
'Exits and Entrances'
Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron, Ann Arbor. Thu.-Sun., through June 1. Tickets: $25-$37. For information: 734-663-0681 or http://www.performancenetwork.org

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