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| Dan Waller and Kate Eastwood Norris in Gnit. Photo by Kathy R. Preher. |
Gnit
By Will Eno
Directed by Les Waters
Review by Keith Waits
Copyright 2013 by Keith Waits. All rights reserved.
Gnit is
explicitly a modern, absurdist update of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, but it also
reminded me of Candide, and perhaps
Will Eno is touching on the entire history of literary characters embarked on a
wandering odyssey in search of self. It is a funny and hugely enjoyable comedy
that will still leave some audience members scratching their heads.
The opening scene between Peter Gnit (Dan Waller)
and his ailing mother (Linda Kimbrough) establishes a unique tone and singular rhythms
in the dialogue that is sharp in its observations yet so quirky and offbeat as
to distance the audience somewhat from the action onstage. Peter’s episodic
journey through life, as in Ibsen, is filled with curious and unfortunate
choices that render the character so firmly eccentric that the audience can
rarely identify with him. He steals a bride, marries and then abandons another
woman, Solvay (Hannah Bos), is robbed and briefly institutionalized,
experiencing such travails with a profoundly disaffected attitude that can, one
suppose, be accepted as an uncorrupted innocence.
Along the way, he encounters a host of other
quirkily funny people who do make connections with the audience in small yet
important ways. Particularly good effect is derived from a character named
“Town,” and as played by the dexterous Danny Wolohan, the device of one actor
speaking as if 2, 3, or, if my ears did not deceive me, 4 people was an
inventive idea that was just one of the ways that the viewer is kept slightly
off-balance. The role’s name is a good indicator of what is happening, yet the
impact is as if we are witnessing an escaped mental patient greet the
protagonist instead of the nod to Ibsen’s extensive roster of characters.
Peter’s Mother is played by Linda Kimbrough with a
tart and quick wit, and one could sense the audience warming to her more than
her remote son, yet Kate Eastwood Norris’s work in the utility position of
Stranger 2 was also a supple and winning tour de force of comic genius. The
range of personages she embodies is considerable, but her talents are more than
up to the task. Kris King’s fine work as Stranger 1 notwithstanding, Ms.
Norris, in her second Humana appearance, stole almost every scene she was in.
Hannah Bos was an appealing Solvay, among a few other parts, although the role
did not give her the same showcase as her work in last year’s The Ver**on Play.
As Peter, Dan Waller brought an intelligent yet wistful reading to the somewhat
vacuous protagonist. This is a role that, if executed correctly, is thankless
in that very few will appreciate the delicacy of the actor’s work, in no small
part because he is easily overshadowed by the more obvious physical and verbal
humor of the other characters. Peter is by definition a less-defined character;
something more of an enigmatic guide into the narrative that, while less
picaresque than its inspiration, is still filled with plenty of incident and
changing locale.
The scenic design by Antje Ellerman is a clever mix
of boxy set pieces and projections that anchor the material in its Scandinavian
origins, while Connie Furr-Soloman’s costumes reinforced the concept while
interjecting helpful details for character.
Intermission chatter revealed more than a few
patrons found the first act off-putting, despite the easy yet smart humor.
Faith was restored as the second act delivers enough narrative satisfaction to
help assuage such fears. Still, it is interesting to note that the Beckett-like
qualities of the play could still puzzle people who were just moments before
laughing without abandon. As absurdist theatre goes, Gnit might be one of the most accessible pieces you are likely to
come across; enjoyable enough if you can only be patient and realize that Mr.
Eno is not worried about serving up a warm and fuzzy hero for the audience to cozy
up to. If that were to be his mission, he would have chosen a different
inspiration. This sort of rich and challenging writing is
what the Humana Festival has always been about, and Louisville audiences are
overdue for an introduction to one of the more important contemporary
playwrights in American theatre.
Gnit
Part of the 37th Humana
Festival of New American Plays
March 15 – April 7, 2013
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Bingham Theatre
316 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 584-1205
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