24th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays (review)

24Th Annual Humana Festival Of New American Plays. Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. 31 March-2 April 2000.

Even before the 24th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays opened, critics and patrons realized that the festival was unique. As Jon Jory prepared to resign as Producing Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville in the fall, the Humana 2000 collection served as a farewell for the famous producer, a final showcase of the best plays in America (according to Jory and his staff). While the past four years of the festival featured mediocre works overshadowed by a few stand out plays (Donald Margulies's Dinner with Friends, Steven Dietz's Private Eyes, and David Rambo's God's Man in Texas being the most successful), the 24th edition provided one of the most solid and consistent years in recent memory. However, the Humana Festival has continuously been criticized for catering to established playwrights, and this festival was no exception. Critics swarmed over a number of returning playwrights (twenty-four of the thirty-two writers were Actors Theatre veterans); however, the most surprising works were presented by newcomers.

The exuberant staging of Charles L. Mee's Big Love quickly became the talk of the festival. A modern retelling of Aeschylus' The Suppliant Women, fifty sisters arrived at an Italian villa in an attempt to flee contracted marriages. The Mediterranean environment was provided through white Italian-designed bridal gowns as well as contemporary male attire featuring soft brown coats, light blue shirts, and padded leather shoes. Presented in the small confines of the black box Victor Jory Theatre, Paul Owen's "sky set" featured the walls and cushioned floor painted powder blue with white clouds, allowing the brides to appear floating when they rolled on the large mat. Les Water's acrobatic direction included the brides and grooms hurling themselves over and under each other, at the audience, and all over the performance space. The harsh raw physicalizations of the characters' inner turmoil extended beyond the immediate circumstances--the actors spoke of societal expectations and constraints upon each gender. Although these moments of wild abandon culminated in the violent and spectacular killing of the suitors (including blood smeared on the white gowns), the exaggerated physicality employed by Mee and movement director Jean Isaacs emphasized the inconsistency in style throughout the production. Characters physically abused each other and occasionally provided musical camp through their renditions of love songs, but the dialogue and character depictions provided in the calmer moments of the play were not enough to balance the interest and energy of the more physical portions of the piece. Regardless of these inconsistencies, Mee's funny, irreverent retelling of the Greek story, combined with the energetic performances of the ensemble, made Big Love a surprise hit of the festival.

The most captivating piece of the festival was Toni Press-Coffman's Touch, an emotional drama about devastation and recovery in response to a violent tragedy. Played on Paul Owen's sparse yet provocative set, Touch centers around the mental and emotional progression of a man whose wife is raped and murdered. Set in "Kyle's mind and the places he conjures there," the play opened with an impeccably written thirty-minute monologue, strikingly performed by Stephen Kunken as the central character. Dominated by the darkness surrounding him on the large stage and dressed in faded, casual clothing, Kunken addressed the audience with a reflective, humor-filled speech describing his passion for his late wife. After the exhaustive monologue, the play shifted modes into an episodic story retelling the events and effects of the crime. Owen provided the actors with four playing areas, including a grave of piled stones, motel bedroom, and a table made to appear to be falling over. A large black cloth loomed above the entire acting area, symbolizing the pressure upon the characters and providing the feeling of a world collapsing. The meager lighting, featuring pale...