By Carol Davis
SOLANA BEACH, California — When you put Jonathan McMurtry, Ray Reinhardt and Ken Ruta in the same room you’ve got history knocking at your door. I’ll venture to say none will see 65 again and that’s being generous. But ‘Old Actors Never Die’ they continue to do what they do best.
As seasoned performers with more years under their collective belts than Solana Beach has had birthdays these three ‘wise men’ have a perfect platform to strut (that might be an over exaggeration) their stuff in Heroes, an adaptation by Tom Stoppard of French playwright Gérald Sibleyras’s Le Vent De Peupliers, comedy.
David Ellenstein’s direction showcases the best of what these men can create, given that between the three, the men have more going for them than the thin plot, or lack thereof, has.
Here’s the situation. Philippe (McMurtry), Henri (Ray Reinhardt and Gustav (Ken Ruta) are all French, WWI veterans living out the remainder of their lives in a French Military Hospital or veterans residents for old soldiers. The nuns run it. One nun in particular, Sister Madeleine who seems to be in charge, is the object of some suspicion by Philippe who’s been at the home for ten years and counting.
He thinks she has control of whose demise follows next in line depending on when and if there are more than one of the inmate’s birthdays on the same day. He’s having a birthday soon and hopes no one else in the home is celebrating with him. He does suffer from blackouts (he just rolls over in his chair until one of the other men help him return to a sitting position) from shrapnel wound to the brain.
Henri is a bachelor and dapper Dan who strolls onto the countryside village to glimpse at the schoolmistress as she guides her young students to and from school. He has bad eyesight, a bad leg and uses a cane to help him walk. Gustav, who seems to have his nose in the air most of the time, is dressed in black from head to toe with a handsome Bowler hat and a medal neatly placed on his breast pocket. He’s afraid to leave the grounds but walks around as though he owns the world.
A fourth character is the statue of what looks a Boston terrier only more menacing. On some level Philippe and Gustav think the dog is real because they’ve seen it move. Gustav even considers it to be his pet dog.
Heroes, set in 1959, is a ninety minute plus exercise performed without intermission and in six scenes that has these three rambling on as they walk around the courtyard (Mart Burnett designed a pristine area) planning various ways to escape (to the Poplars outside the walls) the confines of their secluded and claustrophobic world while, at times bickering with one another and or helping each other out.
It’s sit-com comedy fun; badda bing, badda boom and on to the next episode of how they can escape, what they can do to contradict each other and just plain get on each others nerves and an occasional feeble attempt to discuss women…well.
All three do their best to make Heroes as funny (by their body language and mannerisms) and as engaging as can possibly be but without any more information on any of these characters lives the plots and thinly veiled humor gets tiring after a while. But for the fact that all three of these seasoned actors have what it rakes to pull off, with their impeccable timing and their combined skill to steal a few laughs, is always a plus.
Marty Burnett’s set design is again, up to his usual standards. The gardens and surrounding terraces are perfect, Matt Novotny’s lighting design shines just the right amount of sunlight on the three and Renetta Lloyd’s costumes are fitting for the personalities.
British playwright Tom Stoppard won the Oliver Award for Best new Comedy for his translation and adaptation of “Le Vent De Peupliers”. Some might find it’s funnier and has more going for it than this reviewer. It’s your call.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through Nov. 13th
Organization: North Coast Repertory Theatre
Phone: 858-481-1055
Production Type: Comedy
Where: 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Ticket Prices: $39.00-$45.00
Web: northcoastrep.org
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic. She may be reached at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com