FOLIO
by DICK KEREKES AND LEISLA SANSOM
Terrence McNally’s unforgettably moving 1993 play A Perfect Ganesh is being presented by Players by the Sea in their Studio Theatre until August 29. It is the story of two middle-aged wealthy housewives from Connecticut and their comical yet insightful journey across India for two weeks.
If this review looks different than the many reviews I have written for Entertaining U for the past 28 years, it is since it is the combined effort of two critics instead of just one. In the future Leisla Sansom and I will jointly offer our opinions on selected plays that might benefit from two observers. A Perfect Ganesh is such a play since its principal characters are women. In addition Ms. Sansom lived in India in the past and offers personal insight in that aspect. Ms. Sansom and I have seen over 1,400 plays together, and have attended ten Humana Festivals of New American Plays, as well as many conferences sponsored by the American Theatre Critics Association in cities from coast to coast, so theatre experience is deep and rich in both backgrounds.
Director Jeff Wells, with a great cast has interpreted this 2 l/2 hour play (including intermission), with its wonderful humor and stark bleakness using very minimalistic staging (long white curtains, and wooden boxes but very colorful props (by Patty Fox) and costumes (by Zeina Salame). Add some evocative lighting by Joe Schwarz to Lee Hamby’s set, plus interesting music and sound effects by Matt Williams. They bring the feel of India for the journey with your imaginations.
Award-winning actress Robyn Neal plays Margaret Civil, a rather gruff and pretentious person who has kept her son’s death many years ago a secret from her best friend, Katherine (who she calls Kitty). In this trip she seems to be seeking answers to the loss of her son, her broken marriage and a serious health problem.
Katherine Brynne is played by another award-winning actress, Holly Gutshall. Kitty admits her white trash roots as she relates to her friend for the first time and tells how she crashed a country club party years ago and met her wealthy husband. She is a basically a happy-go-lucky person, mostly open to new experiences and adventures but harboring some heavy baggage as well as she tries to come to find forgiveness for having rejected her homosexual son who was killed by a gay-hating street gang.
Kevin Roberts plays Ganesha, a Hindu God, who guides our two ladies along their trip, taking on human guises such as a train conductor, a Japanese woman, a ten year old child, and an Indian hotel waiter and maid. Roberts wears a jewel-encrusted elephant head crown for almost the entire show, as he appears, and disappears in each scene. He is truly one of ultimate sagacity and understanding. Roberts is another award-winning actor who has been away from the stage for a few years and only recently has become active; it is good to have him back.
The final of the four characters in this play is Joshua Taylor, who was last seen in 2002 at PBTS in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Taylor is listed in the program as Man, and he plays multiple roles, from the Air India gate agent and cabin steward, to lepers, hotel managers, clerks, and hosts. He was very moving and effective as Katherine’s lost son in a dream scene.
From the perspective of a critic who was fortunate enough to spend six months in India, the play does evoke the mystery and wonder of India, beginning with the words Kitty repeats to herself on the plane (“I chose to be good, I choose to love…”) that are clearly modern day mantras, derived from Eastern traditions that use words to bring about spiritual changes. The playwright presents many facets of this land, including the unfortunates who sleep on the streets, and the burning ghats of the Ganges River, and the reactions of Westerners.
But the most unusual aspect is the constant presence of Ganesh, (or Ganesha , he answers to either). He is a very beloved god in India – a major god who removes obstacles. A god of wealth and auspicious beginnings. (Some background: While there are various stories to explain why he has the head of an elephant, the best known one goes something like this. His mother, the goddess Pavarati created a child from clay to guard the household while her husband, Lord Shiva, was away. When he returned, Ganesh told him he could not enter, and Shiva, incensed, loped off his head. Realizing he had made a terrible mistake, he replaced the head with that of an elephant, and the child was raised with loving care by both parents.) Major festivals, involving processions with large painted statutes, are devoted to seeking the help of Ganesh, so the two tourists of the play were favored indeed by his interventions.
A Perfect Genesh was runner up for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in l994, losing to Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women. This production is the Jacksonville premier and I can see why it has not been done before. It takes an exceptional cast to do it and Player’s production’s is an example of perfect casting for a challenging script. McNally’s plays have graced local stages in the past, and you may recall seeing Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, The Ritz and Love! Valor! Compassion!. McNally is a winner of four Tony awards and one of the foremost playwrights in the theatre.
This is a compelling play that requires audiences to listen to appreciate the many layers of the personalities in the script. Having actors and a director that thoroughly understand the plot and their characters made this a most enjoyable evening of unique theatre. Call 249-0289 for reservations. Call quickly as the Studio Theatre only has 75 seats, making this a truly intimate theatre experience.
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