Review: 'Devour the Snow'
Truth wins out at Meadow Brook
By Donald V. Calamia
Self-preservation. In theory, we humans will do just about anything to stay alive. After all, it IS one of the basic drives all animals possess. But when faced with adversity, just how far will we go in order to keep from dying? Is it ever justifiable to cross the line on what society considers acceptable behavior and what is not? And do the rules change when an accused offender is someone you don't like – or is somehow different from you?
Those are the very serious questions examined in "Devour the Snow," a powerful courtroom drama now playing at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester. It's a well-staged ensemble piece that had me riveted to my seat on opening night – despite its unpleasant storyline that some might find disturbing.
In April 1846, two families – the Donners and the Reeds – set out from Illinois for California. That July, with other brave emigrants they met along the way, 87 pioneers broke off from the wagon train to take a short cut. It was a disastrous decision, as they found themselves three weeks behind schedule and, eventually, stranded for the winter by a snow storm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. What the rescue parties discovered that following spring stunned the world.
It was the resulting rumors that caused Lewis Keseberg – the final survivor rescued – to file a lawsuit only days after arriving at Sutter's Fort in California. A seemingly unpopular member of the wagon train, German-born Keseberg (played by Thomas D. Mahard) claimed defamation of character; it was publicly asserted that he was a corpse hunter, a robber and a murderer for acts supposedly committed while trapped in the mountains.
Questions and theories offered at trial by opposing counsel seemed damning, and testimony provided by the captain who ultimately rescued Keseberg only confirmed the worst.
Or did it?
In playwright Abe Polsky's fact-based drama, the accused slanderers are fellow survivors William Eddy (John Biedenbach) and Bill Foster (Seth Amadei). (In reality, he sued rescuer Ned Coffeemeyer.) Every layer of truth Polsky peels from the testimony – and there's plenty – is expertly mined by director David L. Regal who keeps the intrigue flowing; there's never a dull moment in this fast-paced production.
Its raw, emotional power, however, comes from its excellent performers.
Richard Marlatt has several fine moments as the trial's presiding officer, John A. Sutter. So, too, does Dennis North as opposing counsel James Reed.
Amadei's portrayal of Foster's anguish is painfully real, as is Eddy's anger as played by Biedenbach.
Even Regal gets into the act as Captain Fallon Le Gros – the mountain man who brought Keseberg back to civilization. (The performance is so perfect it's almost scary!)
Fine support is provided by Aphrodite Nikolovski, Lisa Betz and Marina V. Fortune. And it's great to see veteran actor Rick Hudson return to the stage after a noticeable absence. (He's delightful as Sheriff George McKinstry.)
But it's Mahard who especially shines. As Keseberg struggles to maintain his innocence, we are treated to a performance that finds every nuance possible within a character some might find unsympathetic. More importantly, he gives him dignity.
"Devour the Snow" runs Wed.-Sun. through April 9 at Meadow Brook Theatre, on the campus of Oakland University, Rochester. Tickets: $20-$36. For information: 248-377-3300 or http://www.mbtheatre.com.
The Bottom Line: How can you tell a thoroughly professional cast from one that's not? By the expert way they jumped back into a scene that was stopped because of an emergency situation in the audience; they never lost any of the moment's focus or its intensity.
Review: 'The Male Intellect: New and Improved (With 60% More Truth!)'
Topical comedy helps when 'you can't handle the truth'
By John Quinn
Like the swallows to Capistrano or the buzzards to Hinkley, Ohio, spring marks funnyman Robert Dubac's return to the Motor City with a one-man show. "The Male Intellect: New and Improved (With 60% More Truth!)" is a new take on his previous hit – "The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?" that played here about two years ago.
"New and Improved" is a play in two acts; the first would seem to be a reworking of earlier material, loosely based on the eternal battle of the sexes. More specifically, the theme is, "what do women want?" Dubac illustrates his wry observations with the help of some self-created characters, memorably "The Colonel," simple-minded chauvinist, or "Bobbi," Dubac's "feminine" side. (That's "metrosexual" to you, buddy!) Meanwhile, our intrepid narrator, Bobby, knows what women want by finding the balance in his brain – a "ying/yang" thing, if you will.
Dubac's approach to a rather hackneyed plot of the battle of the sexes is original and pretty funny. The catch, my adoring fans, is that most of us, both men and women, are involved in the battle of the "same-sexes." The shock of recognition – "Yeah! That's EXACTLY how it goes!" – isn't always there. We can, however enjoy the humor at the heterosexuals' expense, and yet we have no room to gloat. Our relationships come with their own baggage.
Near the end of Act I, Dubac opens the Door of Truth (and a nice bit of stage business that is, too). This provides us with the segue to the second act, a dedicated overview of truth and hypocrisy. Dubac's rapier wit skewers politics and religion, the FCC and commercial television. More characters erupt from his fertile imagination to expand his points. Just how much truth can we handle? Do we open the door just a crack, or can we swing it wide? The topical humor is polished and thoroughly entertaining.
"The Male Intellect: New and Improved" is an up-close and personal visit with an author/performer – a rather novel experience. His breezy performance makes for an entertaining evening out in our breezy spring weather.
"The Male Intellect: New and Improved (with 60% more Truth)" runs Thu.-Sun. through April 30 at City Theatre, 2301 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Tickets: $24.50-$29.50. For information: 313-471-6611 or http://www.olympiaentertainment.com.
The Bottom Line: More proof that "truth hurts" when it causes rib tickling and side splitting.
