Review Roundup: Round Town’s Father Study In Contrasts
Author: dfilas // Category: Waiting in the Wingsby Bob Weesner
The story of I Never Sang for My Father centers on the relationship between a father and son. The father is outgoing, gregarious, loved by everyone who doesn’t know him. The son is hesitant, seeking approval, almost desperately wanting to find something – anything – to love in a self-aggrandizing parent. Watching the play is sort of like eating a whale for lunch – unless it’s skillfully prepared, you are going to be more than sufficiently filled, long before you get to the tail. This is the work Roundtown Players has elected to produce. Like the whale, it’s a heavy work to digest.
As the title suggests, the plot revolves around the two central characters – father and son. It follows, then, that the success of the production depends largely on the abilities of the two actors in these pivotal roles.
The son is played by Chip Redden. He is totally believable in this complex role, always in character, deftly moving through the subtleties and roller coaster ranges of emotions. Mannerisms were natural and well motivated.
Bob Perkins plays the father. I was drawn to the chemistry between these two actors. It was natural and fluid, leading you to easily believe that these two people were the characters they portrayed. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarities ended. Mister Perkins was constantly struggling with remembering his lines during the performance I saw. As a result, the character became less the impregnable fortress and more the vulnerable old man well into senility. This changed the dynamic intent of the playwright, and considerably slowed the overall pace. Sadly, the electric confrontation between father and son at the end of the play only more clearly illustrated the strength of character that should have been there throughout.
Other characters in the play included the seasoned and always wonderful Phyllis Thomas, Richard Neal, Chantel Harr, Jessica Minney, Victor Aume, Chad Anderson, Jimmy Laux, and Junia Esther Maynard.
The play was directed by one of my favorite actors, Rick Moore. Movement was well motivated and entirely natural. Mannerisms which have proved successful for Mister Moore on stage, he has projected onto his performers. Here was a bit of theatre magic I found quite enjoyable.
Performances of I Never Sang for My Father played Friday, April 23 through Sunday, May 2nd in the former World War II CSO dance hall at 165 E Main St. in Circleville. Like the play, the theatre is a study in contrasts. The ambiance is wonderful, the acoustics are not. For more information about Round Town Players, please visit the website here.
*****
For most of his career, Bob was employed as a television director, working for stations from Los Angeles to Columbus. During this same time period he wrote and directed plays for theatres all over the Midwest. For several years he was the drama critic for the Spectator newspaper chain and for channel 6 here in Columbus. Bob has won numerous awards, including two Emmy awards, A Freedom’s foundation award, and two recent awards from the National Writers Digest Playwriting Competition.