By Eva Trieger
SOLANA BEACH, California – Now, I may have been mistaken, but I’m fairly certain I saw the ghost of William Faulkner give a standing ovation at the final curtain of Way Downriver, currently extended at North Coast Repertory Theater in Solana Beach. Well, maybe it was another erudite Southern gentleman with sad eyes and a drooping mustache, but in any event, he was in good company. This play brings audiences to their feet and high praise to their reviews.
Edward Morgan adapted Mr. Faulkner’s Old Man, a short story from the novel The Wild Palms. Teaming up with Artistic Director, David Ellenstein, Morgan experienced “good collaborative energy.” Having recently adapted Huckleberry Finn, Morgan was quite at home with the region, philosophy and the ways in which the river shapes the fate of those who live upon it. Following a reading of Old Man a story took hold in the playwright’s mind.
Hurricane Katrina informed some of the plot for Morgan, and once his script was complete, he sent it to Ellenstein, who read it and was eager to bring it to North Coast Rep. To Morgan’s delight, Ellenstein knows how to build community at this unique theater, and through expert casting and few script revisions…a play was born.
In a recent phone interview the playwright/teacher/actor exposed himself to be an incredible historian. I’m not sure why this impressed me so, but through our dialogue, I became aware of so many global issues this man had researched. Morgan informed me that evictions on the river were quite rare, but today they are commonplace when communities are faced with flooding.
I am hard pressed to say which is more engaging: the plot twists or the acting. For a more thorough explanation I urge you to read Eric George Tauber’s review (www.sdjewishworld.com/2016/04/20/way-river-play-prison/?pfstyle=wp). When speaking with Morgan, he was particularly proud of the way in which he interwove humor and Southern wit to “balance out the intensity and drama of Faulkner.”
Edward Morgan is a man of immeasurable talents. His bio is quite impressive, proving him to be a national treasure as lecturer, writer, teacher, and musician but, as if that weren’t enough, he has worked internationally, spending time in India, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
One historical note, of which I was unaware, was the subject of one of his recent works. Morgan co-wrote a screenplay, Bittersweet, which details the story of the Jewish refugees in the town of Sosua, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The world climate of late 1930s-early 1940 was not receptive to Jews, who were allowed to emigrate upon transferring all of their assets to the German government. Therefore many countries either turned Jews away or allowed very few to enter. One major exception was dictator Rafael Trujillo, who welcomed 100,000 Jews.
Trujillo’s offer appeared altruistic or humanitarian, but it came on the heels of his slaughtering 25, 000 Haitians. Their crime? He didn’t want Dominican women to marry dark men. He preferred the lighter skinned Jewish population to “whiten” his citizenry. By 1941, the Jewish population of Sosua reached its pinnacle of 500 Jews. Today, only about 25 Jewish families remain.
What’s next for Edward Morgan, I wanted to know. Between teaching stints, writing, directing and traveling between New York, Milwaukee, California and Dominican Republic, he is one busy fellow. I’m sure, if alive today, we’d hear Faulkner say of Morgan, “An artist is a creature driven by demons. He doesn’t know why they choose him and he’s usually too busy to wonder why.”
Way Downriver at North Coast Rep Theater through May 15, 2016.
For tickets call the box office at 858.481.1055 or boxoffice@northcoastrep.org
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Trieger is a freelance writer who specializes in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)