If durability defines the worth of a play, “The Elephant Man” by Bernard Pomerance is, at the very least, a good play, and possibly a great one.
The production offered by Barrington Stage Group in their Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge MA, makes that clear.
When it first opened in 1980 it was connected with John Merrick, known as the Elephant Man. He was so deformed that his worth as a human was as an oddity in a freak show.
In real life he was rescued by a compassionate doctor and given a comfortable home in a hospital. The man flourished as an individual and became a favorite of those who made up the privileged class of the Victorian Age in England.
Not only was it a sad story about a pitiful man who was denied his potential by a physical disorder, it was a condemnation of man’s hypocrisy. It pointed out the reason he was celebrated by the rich was much the same as it was at carnivals - because he was a curiosity.
The play questions if living in comfort changed or improved anything about his inner spirit? Was Merrick ever regarded by the world as a person of worth?
Even realizing the fact that public hypocrisy is now the norm rather than the exception, it still has impact in “The Elephant Man.” As played by Michael Wartella, Merrick is always the wisest man in the room. He is also the most dependent and vulnerable.
Wartella does a great job in generating compassion for the man. He also earns our respect for his intellect and high moral standards. It’s a solid performance in which Merrick gains both the audience’s respect and sympathy.
However, in this production, under the direction of Eric Hill, as much or perhaps more of our empathy goes to Doctor Treves, the man who rescued Merrick. Hill’s direction and Harry Smith’s performance makes you realize the play is about Merrick, but Treves also suffers.
The reason this basically good-hearted physician is pained is because he is one of the few people who has any capacity for self-reflection. He understands that if the play pits the innocent against the crude, unintentionally he is one of the crude.
As the play progresses Harry Smith transforms Treves from one of the most successful young men in London to being a haunted individual who has to rethink the so-called “Christian” rules by which he was raised. Smith is marvelous showing this painful transition.
Mrs. Kendall is played as a charming, sensual, compassionate figure by Laura Shatkus. As she gets to know Merrick she comes the closest of all to knowing what the suffering man is denied because of his deformity. She is the only character in the play who seems to regard Merrick as a human being. It’s a superior portrayal.
Indeed, I wish the playwright had included a scene between her and Treves in the second act in which they challenge each other’s approach to helping Merrick.
The other seven actors do very well in creating many characters as almost all double roles. It’s good work all around.
Director Hill and his leads deserve credit in making a recently neglected play vital to contemporary audiences. That they do this without altering the original approach to the play is an outstanding achievement.
“The Elephant Man” plays at Berkshire Theatre Group in Stockbridge until June 15. For tickets and schedule information go to berkshiretheatretroupe.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.
