Bus Stop
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Gray, Craig, Finn
Photo by Robert Craig Photography
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By Ben Miles
By the time Bus Stop premiered on Broadway in March, 1955, playwright William Inge had already generated much attention on the Great White Way: In 1950, Inge's Come Back, Little Sheba ran 190 performances in Manhattan, triumphing in Shirley Booth's Tony Award-winning lead performance. Inge himself was honored in 1953 with a Pulitzer Prize for Picnic, which ran for over a year on Broadway's boards.,DD.
This aforementioned trilogy of bittersweet theatrical treats forever branded Inge as the "Playwright of the Midwest." Now, So Cal audiences have the opportunity to get a glimpse of this stage master's homespun handiwork in a heartfelt production in the Studio Theatre of the Long Beach Playhouse, through November 22.
The prairie playwright indicated that he intended Bus Stop to be a "composite of varying kinds of love, ranging from the innocent to the depraved." That's no short order. But Inge's simple set-up provides the perfect frame for this romantic and dramatic snapshot of heartland America, circa mid-20th century. A street-corner café, thirty miles west of Kansas City, Missouri, serves as a bus stop for weary travelers. One dark night a blizzard necessitates that a long distance coach delay its journey until the white-out storm has passed. Here we meet Grace and Elma, both of whom come sleet or snow tend to the diner. Elma is a bright-eyed schoolgirl and a budding young woman. Grace is the pragmatic proprietor of so-called Grace's Diner.
Soon enough, Will Masters, the local sheriff, swings by the bus stop for a cup of joe and functionally spreads some dramatic exposition--i.e., weather conditions are poor and the bus is headed for a big delay. Suddenly, platinum blond Cherie comes pouring in from the outside. Quickly we learn from her objecting cries that she's been abducted by a "crazy cowboy," who meanwhile remains asleep on the grounded bus. Then Dr. Gerald Lyman follows with Carl, the driver of the cross-country carrier. Carl furtively informs Sheriff Will to be on the lookout for Dr. Lyman. After all, the peripatetic and erstwhile professor of literature and Shakespearian scholar seems in a hurry "to get across the Stateline." Immediately Dr. Lyman develops a questionable rapport with the callow Elma.
In penultimate order, the avuncular Virgil, guitar-in-tow, comes shivering in from his short walk off the bus. Then, finally, that much talked about "crazy cowboy," Bo Decker, makes a bombastic entrance. He's moaning loudly about Cherie's failure to wake him when she left the entrails of the interstate charter. With this boilerplate conceit, Inge constructs the dynamics of a credible character study, and in the process creates a minor American stage classic.
Wholesomely directed by Amanda Karr, the good-earth charm of Bus Stop is clearly in evidence here. However, more attention to pacing--through tightening the dialogue exchanges between actors-- would intensify the dramatic effects and improve what is already a good show. Donna Fritsche's credible costuming and Greg Fritsche's impressive set design provide an able cast with the context through which we are all easily encouraged to willingly suspend our disbelief for two-hours.
Elisa Richter fulfills our expectations as the perky, eager-to-learn Elma, while Tracey Wiltse's world-worn Grace is just the right blend of good sense and sensuality. Jim Rice plays Sheriff Will as a stock character, squarely hitting on the role's virtue and wisdom at the expense of a more nuanced interpretation. As Dr. Lyman, Stephen Alan Carver gives the highest caliber portrayal of a pathetic low-life person. Daniel Lucero's rendering of Carl has an uncanny likeness to Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden, with a girth and persona as comforting as it is familiar. As Virgil Blessing (a symbolically resonant name, indeed), Robert Craig is genuinely touching as the paternal cow-poke.
The story, of course, centers on Cherie, the cheap club chanteuse, and the love-struck rodeo champ, Bo Decker (incarnated here by the comically astute Kalinda Gray and the physically adept Scott Finn. Both performers are in convincing form throughout the show. Finn's compensatory verboseness and Gray's desperate countenance add dimension and depth to Inge's sweet-tart of a love story.
Bus Stop comes to us from a long-ago era. Nevertheless, this story of love, not so filled with glory, still holds up today. Pull-over and take a look-see.
Bus Stop continues Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with occasional Sunday matinees, through November 22. The Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5012 East Anaheim Street, Long Beach. For reservations, dial (562) 494 - 1014. For more details, visit www.lbph.com.
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