ALBANY - “Red Maple,” which is being given its world premiere at Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, is the kind of diversion in which everyone can find something to laugh at.
Some people will laugh all the way through this comedy about sad people. Others will only find certain scenes worthy of laugh-out-loud laughter. Even if you don’t buy into the premise, the work is so skillfully written and performed it should put a smile on your face.
On the surface, “Red Maple” is comedy that makes farcical two contemporary marriages. This is a play about two middle-aged couples who have marriages a lot like the tree in the title. As described by one character, the maple tree looks natural and beautiful from one side, but from another perspective, you see all the blemishes. It’s a metaphor for two seemingly loving marriages that are falling apart.
Local playwright David Bunce walks a delicate line by attempting to make the unhappy lives of four people seem funny. Bunce, who for over a quarter of a century performed locally at the now defunct New York State Theatre Institute, and for another 10 years, taught, acted and directed at Russell Sage College in Troy, knows what works on stage. This is an expertly crafted play which makes the gloomy appear funny through silly exaggeration.
When the play leaves the reality of the moment, the illogical behavior, based on false premises, takes over and the laughter becomes abundant and genuine. On the other hand, transitioning from characters who tend to be self-centered and emotionally immature to people who are outrageously silly can be difficult.
Compounding the problem of getting to like the characters is that there is little in the early moments to make us believe the people like each other. By play’s end we learn how each person in a relationship cares for the other – which adds warmth to the play - but for most of the 2 ½ hours running time, it’s hard to believe the marriages are worth saving. Too, we are told the couples are the best of friends. That too is difficult to accept.
But in farce, the key to having fun is ignoring reality to buy into the playwright’s vision. That vision in “Red Maple” is to show that even the most sincere, intelligent and loving people are- at their core – accidents waiting to happen. Each actor creates a defined character and they know that in order to make a farce work, the character must totally believe the most unbelievable revelation or situation. If there are moments when you don’t laugh, it’s because the cast is so good in creating real characters that make you wince with recognition.
Too, the cast is funny. Oliver Wadsworth is delightful as John, the man who cannot keep a secret. He is the audience’s surrogate who signals the fun in watching people who lose their common sense. Yvonne Perry is ideal as his wife Karen, a woman who is eager to trust and protect people she loves. She generates laughter by her determination to do the right thing – not knowing what the right thing is.
The other couple is a complement to their sensible approach to life. Robert, as played by James Lloyd Reynolds, is a brilliant man whose state of depression has him make the most outlandish decisions. His wife, the coarsest of the four, is a no-nonsense, take-charge person. Elizabeth Meadows Rouse finds the humor in the woman by creating an impulsive character whose matter-of-fact comments can make a bad situation appear funny.
Julia Knitel is terrific in the small but important role of an awkward relator who has her own share of secrets.
All the elements of the production are first rate, especially the direction of Margaret E. Hall who keeps the performances in balance without depriving it of its necessary energy. On the topic of comic energy, David Girard’s choreographed fight scenes add much laughter to some tense moments.
“Red Maple” continues at Capital Rep in Albany though February 17.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
