Alumnus brilliantly brings drama by one of UO’s greatest graduates to life
I went to the theater to see "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and I laughed and laughed. Then I went home and cried.
We're told that Ken Kesey never liked Dale Wasserman's stage adaptation of his acclaimed novel, but the stunning new production at the University of Oregon's Robinson Theatre might have changed his mind.
Both the audience and the actors are fortunate that guest director Rob Urbinati took time out from his thriving career in New York to direct this play at the university where he received his doctorate. The sold-out opening night crowd was primed for excitement, and the cast delivered - with a wallop.
"Cuckoo's Nest" is an epic tale of the struggle between free will and oppressive authority, infused with a generous supply of humor. Its lead character, petty criminal Randle McMurphy, finds himself in mortal battle with Nurse Ratched, who could school Lady Macbeth.
McMurphy, with only months left to serve at the county work farm, has rigged his transfer to the state mental institution, where he won't have to work. He has no idea he's stepping into a quagmire as he cheerfully flouts authority and goads the inmates to demand their rights.
This loud-mouthed rascal is endearingly nonjudgmental of his new buddies, who are drawn to him like bees to honey. He even manages to connect with Chief Bromden, a huge American Indian who doesn't speak.
Urbaniti's decision to set the play in the 1950s rather than the 1960s makes perfect sense. Just prior to the explosion of drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll in the 1960s, societal pressures were building up. McMurphy, a tough, sexy anarchist, finds himself unwittingly in the vanguard.
Although McMurphy is the hero, the play is written to allow us glimpses into the chief's troubled mind with voice-over monologues. Urbaniti shows the chief's viewpoint with extreme lighting changes and distorted sounds.
While much of the expert lighting by Janet Rose washes the stage in the naked, white glare of institutional illumination, the chief's light is an underwater blue-green. And during a drunken party scene, the white light gives way to intensely psychedelic colors.
Alexandra Bonds' costumes - painfully white and, for the nurses, starched to steeliness - include wire mesh overlays (elements from the set) when seen through the chief's eyes. The set, by Matthew Robins, is grim and jail-like.
The sound, by Michael Miranda, includes ironically sugary songs such as "Dear Hearts and Gentle People." They are interspersed with long, loud alarms that could drive anyone mad.
Alexander Dupre is an irresistible McMurphy, reckless, funny and conniving, but with real concern for the underdog. He lights up the stage with his infectious energy and cocky gestures.
Just as surely as Dupre brings life into a room, Emily Peterson sucks breath out of it as the glacial Nurse Ratched. Peterson, ramrod-straight and with every blond hair lacquered into submission, is chilling as she sweetly warns the men, "Behave yourselves, boys."
The inmates and workers alike know the honey can turn to vitriol in a flash.
As Chief Bromden, Sergio Martinez isn't a giant, but he's strong and athletic, using compelling, dance-like movements. Sean Andries is appealing as the boyish, stuttering Billy Bibbitt, and Marco Davis has perfect timing as Dale Harding, the closeted gay.
J. Nick Dickert is an adorable teddy bear as Cheswick, quivering with excitement. Nathaniel Hayakawa is the secretive Scanlon, Adam Rieders is the vision-seeing Martini, and Ian Armstrong is the lobotomized Ruckly. Ron Blair plays Dr. Spivey as a likeable mensch. Bethany Mason is fun as a friendly hooker.
By Dorothy Velasco, The Register-Guard
November 12, 2003
Kesey's intentions shine in UO Theatre production
The version of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' shifts focus away from the more widely-known film
A new production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" does not strike me as an easy undertaking. Ken Kesey's novel of the same name is widely considered an American classic, the original Broadway adaptation launched the careers of many of its stars and the 1975 film adaptation by Milos Forman is such a part of the cultural consciousness that it is difficult to see anyone else playing these roles. The fact that the University Theatre production has its own original vision of the work, however, is such an accomplishment that I find myself feeling more favorably inclined to it than I might be otherwise.
The play is helmed by veteran director Rob Urbinati, and the cast is composed of many reliable players from around the University, including some fresh off of the recent revival of "This Ship of Fools." A talented group of actors under the direction of a professional is all fine and dandy, but it means nothing if they can't do anything interesting with the work. Fortunately, they seem perfectly capable of originality.
The story of a rebellious new inmate at a nameless mental institution is well known to anyone who took a high school literature class, so the real interest lies in the themes covered by the adaptation. One misconception about the original novel is that it was an anti-authoritarian text of the counterculture, when in fact it was written before 1960s counterculture really got going. Kesey's book aimed at a more spiritual release than a political one, so when most people think of the anti-authoritarian elements in the story they are actually thinking of the film adaptation rather than the book.
This is not to say that elements of social rebellion don't exist in Kesey's book, but rather that this is not all it is about, something Urbinati seems to keep in mind. He refocuses the play so it is told from the perspective of Chief Bromden (played excellently by University junior Sergio Martinez), making it more about he and his fellow inmates' growth as human beings rather than rebellion against an institution.
But while Chief is the story's de facto narrator, it is the character of new inmate Randle Patrick McMurphy that everyone remembers, and without a strong lead in that role the play would probably falter. Junior Alexander Dupre tackles the role with gusto. Occasionally he lays it on a little thick, but before long it becomes apparent that he's going for effect rather than subtlety.
As McMurphy's adversary, junior Emily Peterson as Nurse Ratched is cold and quietly scolding in the way I thought only a veteran elementary school teacher could be. She mixes complete repression and a condescending attitude -- not to mention a bit of Mae West voice intonation -- so well that her performance is a joy to watch.
Some other performances also shine through, including J. Nick Dickert, who hits all the right notes as the large, red-faced inmate Cheswick, and Marco Davis, who really seems to be enjoying the freedom to overact so much as the inmate Harding.
In fact, most of the inmate roles are overdone for effect, but the reality of mental illness has never been the point of the story. The mental institution is just a stand-in for any institution, and the inmates are a representation of the people trapped within it. In Kesey's hands, this became a wonderful parable for modern society. And even if they are unable to pull it off successfully, the cast and crew here are certainly trying to maintain a grasp on Kesey's original intent.
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" will be playing at the Robinson Theatre on Nov. 13, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. and on Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $12 for the general public and can be purchased at the UO Ticket Office in the EMU and at the Robinson Theatre box office.
Ryan Nyburg, Oregon Daily Emerald
Issue date: 11/13/03 Section: Pulse
