AISLE SAY Phoenix

A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN

Written by Eugene O'Neill
Directed by Samantha K. Wyer
Arizona Theatre Company
The Temple of Music and Arts, Tucson
(520) 622-2823 (1/18/03 - 2/8/03)
and
The Herberger Theatre Center, Phoenix
(602) 256-6995 (2/13/03 - 3/2/03)

Reviewed by Mark S.P. Turvin

It's no small feat to win a Pulitzer Prize, let alone four. This is one of the many remarkable accomplishments of darkly brooding playwright Eugene O'Neill during and after his turbulent life. He is a loquacious sort, but his prose is so richly spun and strung with so many heartbreaking images, time in his regret-filled worlds passes quickly. Almost always, the best a character can hope for when surviving in his tragedies is a draw. Such is the fate of star-crossed lovers Josie Hogan and James Tyrone, Jr. in his aching homage to his alcoholic older brother and companion piece to A Long Day's Journey Into Night, A Moon for the Misbegotten. The cast and design team that director Samantha K. Wyer has collected is in tune with this melancholy and presents an excellent production of one of O'Neill's more forgiving works.

The Hogan's are tenant farmers on the estate of former actor James Tyrone, Jr.; the same James Tyrone of the shattering exposé A Long Day's Journey Into Night. However, this is a decade after the harrowing night of that play. Father Phil is a tyrant of an Irishman, working the rocky Connecticut land on the backs of his pious son Mike and his plain-though-feisty daughter Josie. Josie has been fostering a love of their landlord, though she has never allowed him to see her tenderness for him. When next-door millionaire T. Stedman Harder puts an astronomical offer on the estate, Jim must decide whether to abandon the Hogan's for the bars and tarts of Broadway or to succumb to his own tender feelings for Josie and stand by his drunken promise to let them buy the land for a much more meager price. During a fateful moonlit evening, both Josie and Jim struggle with their separate demons and find a connection in a mutually beneficial, if somewhat unconventional way.

Ms. Wyer seems to specialize in this type of one-on-one show. Her excellent direction of last season's Proof is once again on display here. When she has long scenes between two battling strong-willed personalities, she does an excellent job with significant stage pictures and multi-level connections. Here, she draws strong performances from Jeanne Paulsen and James Carpenter, two veteran performers who carry off the depth of despair and odd spirit that brings them together. Ms. Paulsen is a vibrant performer, infusing Josie with a barbed wire wrapped heart of gold. The ghosts that torment Jim are nearly visible in Mr. Carpenter's haunted eyes. When the two are working together, their dialogue is snappy and their energy high.

As the wily conman, Drew Snyder begins as a slightly caricatured Phil, but the depth of his characterization grows throughout the performance. The haughty T. Stedman Harder is ably handled by Mark DeMichele, though his accent is a bit too forced. Christopher Williams does a solid job in his small role as oppressed son Mike.

Visually, Kent Dorsey's recreation of a tenant farmer's shack is excellently wrought, though the house dominates too much of the set, leaving Dennis Parichy's beautiful lighting on the sky scrim too hidden. This is a play about a redemptive moon lit night and the set overwhelms that strong message with a heavy image of the toils of the earth. Better is Sam Fleming's expressive costuming, which fluidly expresses character and mood.

The show is a long one, clocking in at just over 3 hours, but ATC's choice to start the show a half-hour earlier counters this. This is a script that flows through pain and revelation, and is worth the bumpy trip; Ms. Wyer and her performers have created a wonderful production to support it.

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