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Chester Bailey - A Parable About Life, Imagination And Reality

Reed Birney and Ephraim Birney in "Chester Bailey"
David Dashiell
Reed Birney and Ephraim Birney in "Chester Bailey"

Over the weekend, companion and I drove to Pittsfield, MA to attend a matinee of “Chester Bailey.” Leaving Troy, we hit every traffic light in the city and on Route 20 construction delays added to the stress of arriving on time. It was a sun-filled day with temperatures in the 90s. During the drive we named at least a dozen other things we’d prefer to be doing.

At the end of the play, we left the Barrington Stage Company theater, looked at each other and agreed there was no other way we would have wanted to spend the last 90-minutes. “Chester Bailey” is that good. It has just been extended through July 9 and if you appreciate serious theater, I urge you to find a way to attend this unforgettable production.

There is no way a simple plot description can do the play justice. It concerns a young man in his early 20s who, because of a random crazy act, finds himself without eyes, hands and one ear. It seems a tragic fate, except that young Chester denies any consequences from the unprovoked attack. He claims his vision is returning and though limited, he has sight. He also insists his hands are intact. Indeed, he considers himself lucky not to have been seriously injured.

This happens at the Walt Whitman State Mental Hospital on Long Island during the 1940s, where Philip Cotton, an unassuming man in his fifties, is assigned the case and charged with the unenviable task of convincing Chester the reality of his situation. Cotton is an efficient, caring doctor. He’s a divorced man who lives a lonely life dominated by the guilt that comes from having an affair with his superior’s wife.

The danger in this plot description is that it easily recalls the works of literature prevalent after World War II that questioned if sane men caused war is there such a thing as being insane? Too, it reminds you of plays like “Equus” which wonders if a damaged man of science is justified to heal a man who lives in a world driven by illusion.

While the issue of who decides reality is the driving force of the play, it is only a starting point. The play is a theatrical parable that is about more than choosing the art of imagination over the harsh reality of science. Experiencing “Chester Bailey” encourages you to understand the whys of life rather than the oughts.

The play had one other production, in 2019 in West Virginia. It was with the same cast. Clearly it was written before the pandemic, but if you are searching for a play that explains how the human mind can cope with isolation and unimaginable loss, this is that play. Because the play is about choices caused by loss there is a universal philosophical core in the play that is so non-specific as to be profound on many levels.

“Chester Baily” is a play filled with sadness, and yet is not a play about unhappiness, which has you considering what is tragedy. It is a play about hope, but offers no true resolution, forcing you to consider the concept of happy. And, perhaps, most important, it is an experience that will always help you appreciate another person’s sense of reality rather than challenge it.

Playwright Joseph Dougherty has written a masterful play. The construction of the play is as brilliant as the material. Most of the information is given through direct address, with the actors telling us about their lives and their thoughts. In general, only about one-third of the play is the two actors interacting with each other. But, because we know each man so well through their introspective monologues, when the two connect and battle over reality it is so rewarding that the moments are electric. What helps make their arguments so rich is that neither man has truth for a weapon.

The performances are marvelous. Reed Birney is a much-respected actor who won the Tony Award for “The Humans,” after decades of appearing in plays, in which his unobtrusive performances made each work better. Like all his other performances, with Dr. Cotton he refuses to command the stage with his presence. Instead, he prefers to take full ownership of the character. Rather than play show and tell, he permits the audience to discover the man.

What might initially appear like stunt casting is that Chester is played by Ephraim Birney, Reed’s real-life son. Their relationship might add emotional depth for each actor, but in performance Ephraim stands on his own as a talented young actor. Where his father permits you to intuit the character’s sadness and empty life, the animated Ephraim must, and does, convince you his tragic life is little more than a temporary set-back.

Director Ron Lagomarsino keeps the movement fluid and natural while nurturing two wonderfully individual performances that unite to make a perfect whole. It is a wise choice not to show Chester as maimed. The audience sees him the way he sees himself.

It’s played on a set of a seemingly simple sterile hospital room. Designed by Beowulf Botitt, and helped by the phenomenal lighting of Peter Kaczorowski, it morphs into important locations within the play like Penn Station, the unfinished hull of a ship and the tunnels of the mind.

It’s a play that should not be missed. It plays through July 9 at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA. For ticket and schedule information go to barringtonstageco.org or call 413-236-8888.

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.

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