| Teahouse of the August Moon -- Williamsburg Players | | Print | |
| Written by Ronnie Pirate | |
| Tuesday, 26 September 2006 | |
 Having never been to a Williamsburg Players production before, I was
excited to explore a new venue. There is a definite sense of community
in this theater. On the wall there are collage tributes to previous
seasons, as well as a scholarship board featuring headshots of
recipients for the past two decades. I have even worked with some of
these formerly young people professionally. It is nice to know that the
work done in this building has had an impact in the theatrical
community.
WP has been entertaining Williamsburg audiences for 50 years, and chose
to open this season with a remounting of their first-ever production,
Teahouse of the August Moon. Written by John Patrick, and winner of the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the Tony Award, the play was made
into a movie in the late 1950's. The story concerns an Army Occupation
officer charged with teaching the locals the principles of Democracy.
While his attempts seem to backhandedly teach both himself and his
villagers, his superior officer is not amused with his unconventional
attempts and results.
Teahouse was directed by ROGERS HAMILTON, who played a lead in the WP's original production. He keeps the pace moving, and makes good use of the thrifty and competent set design of TONY GABRIELE, though a few set changes could have been better organized. Personally, I'm not familiar with Luchuan, the Okinawan variation of Japanese, but the scripted dialect sounded good to me, minus some crowd scenes where folks were sneaking in blatant gibberish and sushi references.
Colonel Purdy was played with gusto by TONY GABRIELE. Though committed to his character, I'm not sure I agree with the interpretation. Gabriele has consistent facial expressions and body language, but Purdy comes off as more of a blustery buffoon than an intimidating commanding officer. Potential dramatic tension was lost in Act II when Purdy discovers Fisby's Teahouse because there is no real threat or consequence to the characters other than a smoke-from-the-ears speech. ALAN NOBLIN's Captain Fisby attempts to maintain order amidst the chaos around him. Noblin's Fisby is much like Gomer Pyle, minus the accent. His character is innocent, and little too comfortable too soon with the craziness. However, his eagerness and energy keep you interested. The ensemble players are overall a bit young, but hard working, including Arlo, the goat, who tries hard not to steal scenes. WP's production may lack the social punches Patrick intended, but the story is told well, and the crowd enjoyed the performance. The family at WP would welcome you to have tea with them for the remainder of this run. |
This production comes off as a bit of good natured fluff
performed by a family of likeable individuals "aw shucksing" their way
through the show. 
Young MICHAEL CHEN plays Sakini, the narrator and go-to guy in the
story. Chen delivers his lines at a smooth pace, and possesses the
youthful energy his character should have, but doesn't quite capture the
wisdom and irony in his monologues. Though nervous at his WP debut, he
did not let any minor flubs break his character.