THEATER REVIEW: Six Characters In Search of an Author

Our local high schools are exceptional examples of what educational theater should be. In the past three years. Bellefonte Area High School Theatre Department has given us plays by Elton John, Oscar Wilde, and  David Ives. This year they really conquered a big challenge by presenting SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR by Luigi Pirandello. The name of Luigi Pirandello may have become eclipsed by playwrights who followed him, but he is very important to the history of modern drama.

The storyline of SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR is very simple. On an empty stage a director has started rehearsals for a play when six fictional characters appear, a father, a mother, a son, a step-daughter, a young boy and a young girl. The father insists that the six of them need an author to finish what another author has left undone. The story is obviously a sad one because all of the family are in mourning except the two young children. As the story unfolds, the characters raise questions concerning reality vs. illusion, the importance of words, and the point is made that real people change, characters in plays are locked in.

Jordan Emery as Father is to be commended simply for the amount of very difficult lines he had to master. Pirandello uses the character of the father to sermonize the basic idea of this play and Jordan had to make the audience “get it”. Because he is a character in a play, he does not always understand when the director tries to explain that real people are different than fictional characters. There were times that Father’s lines were a little hard to hear. This may be due to the acoustics in the auditorium, not the actor.

Mother’s mourning was captured perfectly by Dori Puzycki. The mother is the very consummate figure of grief and Dori took a part that could be easily overdone and played it with great sympathy. Her unbearable grief made the final act even more impressive. When Father explains to the Manager that this is not a woman but Mother, we understand Dori’s part perfectly.

The emotional role of Step-Daughter was handled by Kaitlyn Whitesell. Kaitlyn had a chance to pull out all the stops as the seductive, sometimes vicious, Step-daughter.  I liked that she went from being cruel to most of her family to being tender to the young child.

I kept watching Zachary Spaw as Son. It is hard to play the aloof, quiet part. Son was always alone in the background and when he did speak it was to tell us that he wanted nothing to do with the action. Zachary has the stage presence to keep us aware that he is going to be important at some point. I kept watching for that point.

Alyssa Hamaty as Manager/Director had the role that grounded the play. Her job was to help the audience see the difference between a work of art and real life. Her stating that “Drama is action” seems ironic in a play that relies on words more than movement. Again, this is a part that is very important in helping the audience to understand the play and at times her lines got lost.  

Background actors impress me when they stay in character and the ensemble was perfect. Several actors to keep your eye on in future plays are Jordan Corman, Emma Holderman and Andrew Uhring. We have seen them before in featured roles and, I am sure, will see them again.

Thank you Shaun McMurtrie and Luke Skerpon, directors and faculty advisors,  for remembering that a playwright born in 1867 can still be relevant  and entertaining.