By Bridgette M. Redman
Often it is the smallest actions that can reveal the most about a person's character — but not always in the way it might first appear.
In its first fully staged production, Stormfield Theatre meshes three highly talented actors with "Among Friends," a script written by its artistic director, Kristine Thatcher.
William Bannon, Aral Gribble and John Lepard create believable connections for three long-term friends. They effortlessly produce all the right tensions and attitudes with a comfort level that immediately provides the backdrop against which all the action takes place.
The easy banter begins around the poker table, where it doesn't take long for each man to establish his place in the pecking order. Dan (Lepard) and Will (Bannon) are the competing alpha males with Dan most often coming out on top. Matt (Gribble) is content to play second fiddle to both, providing comic relief when things get tense and mediating between the two brothers-in-law.
The crux of the play occurs early when Will catches Dan cheating at poker, but doesn't immediately confront him. Instead, he lets his anger at his friend's dishonesty stew until it boils over to besmirch his view of everything that Dan does. In an instant, the friendship chills, though it takes weeks for Dan and Will to get it all out in the open, each using Matt as his sounding board.
Lepard is skillful in this presentation of Dan, subtly playing him so that the audience is left to wonder whether he truly is a schmuck who puts on a good act or whether he lives up to his reputation as humanitarian of the year.
While the exploration of friendship, forgiveness, jealousy and long-standing resentments is fraught with tensions and some heavy revelations, it is balanced by the gentle humor and easy laughter that good friends share.
There were some problems with sight-lines, particularly when the action is limited to a poker table. The middle section has a perfect view, but for those sitting on the side, there were prolonged periods where all that could be seen was one actor's side and the other actor's back — which was blocking off sight to the third actor. It also required a fair amount of craning to be able to see all three of the characters.
The set easily accommodated the need to portray three different rooms, with furnishings staying in place and props being used to identify which person's house the set currently represents.
With "Among Friends," Stormfield sends its audiences out from its new home well-entertained and with a doggy bag of questions about whether our flaws define us or are the exception that proves the rule of our character.
REVIEW:
'Among Friends'
Stormfield Theatre, 201 Morgan Lane, Lansing. Thursday-Sunday through Oct. 31. $25. 517-372-0945. http://www.stormfieldtheatre.org.
