“The Minutes” playing at Albany Civic Theatre is a deceptive play in more ways than one. The most obvious form of deception is how playwright Tracy Letts has you laughing for most of its 100-minute duration and then stuns you with a gut punch.
The play takes place in the city of Big Cherry and shows a city council board meeting. It’s filled with small-minded people quibbling over mundane issues like stolen bikes, disabled access for a proposed water fountain of monumental proportions and an annual festival honoring the origins of the city. The meeting shows the pettiness of the group, as well as the power dynamics within the board.
As the meeting progress, the arguments become more heated and the stakes become higher. The mood turns and the scope of the story expands. By the time the play reaches its climax you are thinking about history and the impact it has on the present.
The council is made up of recognizable types. There is the bully, (Shawn Morgan), the Grande Dame, who speaks without saying much of substance, (Dianne O’Neill), the grumpy old man who’s served for almost 40 years and has never encountered a tangent he couldn’t go off on (Gary Hoffman). Also present is a lone African-American who seems a token (Aaron Moore), a do-gooder who cares about the disabled in the community (Ryan Palmer) and the person who seems to be clueless about everything (Samantha Miorin).
Leading the meeting is the evasive mayor (Chris Foster). Also in attendance is the city clerk who takes the all-important minutes (Alexandria Doggette). Sitting close to the mayor is a shady guy who seems to have sticky-fingers in too many ventures and whose brother just happens to be sheriff. (Patrick White).
Most critical to the plot is a new member, a political innocent who missed the last meeting (Kevin O’Toole). He stirs the pot by demanding a reading of the minutes of that meeting. There is another board member who is not present (Bill Douglas).
If this sounds like a cross section of a normal community, that’s the point. It is critical that we feel we know all these people, and the entire cast is wonderful in accomplishing this important element. We don’t have to like them, but we must know them. That’s because “The Minutes” is a work that eventually makes you look at governing, therefore the people on the board must represent us. Letts’ intent is that the audience realize that when the democratic process fails to work, it is the fault of the average guy.
Director Brian Shelden keeps this complicated situation in total control. He sets a pace that has you laugh at petty politics and squirm at major revelations. Sheldon does permit a couple of performances that depend on bluster and shouting in an attempt to foreshadow the darker side of their characters, but such a minor flaw pales when you consider how well eleven individuals form such a solid ensemble.
The tech team is their equal. Adam M. Coons set is a perfect recreation of a soulless meeting space. It’s an ideal place for people without a conscience to debate. Extremely important is Kassidi Jarvis’s lighting, which is superior. Lisa Morgan’s costumes help define personalities, and the sound design by Barry Streifert is unobtrusive but subliminally supportive of the plays themes.
Thanks to this excellent design team the small ACT stage never appears crowded even during an over-the-top ensemble moment when the entire board enacts the history of the founding of the town. It’s cleverly staged, exhaustingly performed and endlessly silly.
However, sometimes being deceptively brilliant is not in the interests of the audience. For example, this scene which has adults act like grammar school kids performing a familiar skit appears stylistically out of place. Yet, after considerable thought, you might realize it is intended to remind us that when history is taught as a fable, it influences children to believe that fairy tales are real.
Thus, when kids become adults the threat of losing those comforting stories can be hurtful. The result is hanging on to them no matter the cost. This scene supports the playwright’s view that myths can become more real than facts. It’s a brilliant moment that loses its impact by being too clever.
The same can be said of a strange ending that might be from “Lord of the Flies.” It’s so at odds with the rest of the play, it’s easy to dismiss. My guess it has to do with the irony of how conquerors appropriate a culture. But why should anyone have to guess?
Thankfully, there is no guessing about what the play has to say. But, if you don’t get it, just pay attention to the daily news.
The Minutes” is at Albany Civic Theatre Fridays through Sundays until March 3. For ticket and schedule information go to albanycivictheatre.org
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.
