By Carol Davis
CHULA VISTA, California —One of the very first plays I saw at the old Lyceum Theatre downtown (just before it came under the wrecking ball to make way for Horton Plaza, was Bernard Pomerance’s 1977 play, The Elephant Man. Later in 1998 The North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach mounted it. In between (1980) it became a movie starring Anthony Hopkins, William Hurt and Anne Bancroft. The movie version received eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. The play débuted in 1979 and won the Drama Desk Award for outstanding play along with a Tony for Best Play.
Pomerance’s work is based on the true story of Joseph (aka John) Merrick, a young man grotesquely deformed and disfigured by excessive growth masses on his body and who was often called ‘ freak of nature’. His looks were so horrible that in order to survive, he went to work in a carnival where he was exploited as a circus side show attraction in Victorian London, 1884.
Merrick (James E. Steinberg) was on display every day as a curiosity. His handler was the scum of the earth con man, Ross (Joel Castellow) a carnival pimp who earned his keep by charging a fee to glimpse Merrick.
The story continues: Back in a London hospital, Carr Gromn (Brian P. Evans), the hospital’s new administrator urges Dr. Treves, a well-to- do surgeon and lecturer in Anatomy there, to go to the carnival grounds to see Merrick. Treves is skeptical but soon learns that Ross’ claims about Merrick are true. He then purchases Merrick for a day to study his deformities and in essence finds another way to exploit Merrick’s grotesqueness. He makes Merrick stand on display while describing his deformities. At this time Steinberg transforms right before our eyes sans makeup or prosthetics.
Treves, knowing that Merrick cannot go back to the ‘freak show’ secures a place for him in his hospital and with a little publicity, money pours in to support Merrick’s needs for the rest of his life. One of the many who comes in to his life is the famous actress (of the day) Mrs. Kendal (Cheryl Livingston). Ms. Kendal puts the young Merrick at ease as the two delve into topics that go beyond Merrick’s disfigurement, even to the point of bringing celebrities to visit him giving him the much needed confidence and social contact not otherwise provided.
There is something to be said about a small (very) 62 seat storefront theatre such as On Stage Theatre that forges ahead with some risky, tough and ambitious projects larger companies ignore; it’s called spunk, courage and respect.
The sky’s the limit as witnessed by the last two productions I’ve seen there, The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackert which garnered critical acclaim and this current production of The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance that, from this perspective, was sadly uneven and not quite ready for prime time on opening night.
Sometimes larger-than-life projects work and other times not, as is with the case of this production of The Elephant Man and mostly for the reason stated above. The play, unlike the 1980 movie version has no less than 21 short scenes that often times felt independent of one another making transitions and coherency fuzzy at best.
While this hindered the smooth transition from one scene to another, the cast under the direction of Steve Murdock ran their lines, could hardly be understood or heard clearly and looked away from the audience to the point that they could have been in another room talking at each other. Steinberg’s Merrick was in character (a difficult role to say the least) and for the most part and was convincing but Hadlock’s Dr. Treves, was just not ready for opening night. In addition, characters like the pinheads (another side show attraction) showed up at various times in Merrick’s life and in his living quarters seemingly, having no known connection to anything.
Steve Murdock and Chad Oakley’s set on the long stage is less than functional making the transitions from one room/scene to another once again, baffling. Jane Russell’s costume designs looked Victorian and Oakley’s lighting design was less than effective.
That aside, this ambitious undertaking by On Stage Theatre is an event to be celebrated as ‘the other’, to this day is looked down upon and shunned in a society where eternal youth is worshipped and beauty is paraded before us ad nauseam. Merrick, with all his problems had more to teach us about humanity, humility and grace than all the bigger-than-life dignitaries that came to visit him and heap trinkets on his side table.
Merrick’s situation deteriorated as the years went on. Because of his twisted spine and abnormal form, he was forced to sleep in an upright position. One afternoon he decided to take a nap and while dozing, had a vision (the three pinheads appear and encourage him to lay flat on the bed) and while stretched out on his bed, the weight of his head dislocated his neck and he died in his sleep. Some say it was suicide but it was ruled an accident.
Hopefully, by the time you see the show, all the kinks will be ironed out.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through Feb. 4th
Organization: On Stage Theatre
Phone: 619-422-7787
Production Type: Drama
Where: 291 Third Ave, Chula Vista, CA
Ticket Prices: Starting at $14.00
Web: onstageplayhouse.org