Leaving Iowa
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North, Brennan, Bennett, Symons
Photo by Ed Krieger
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By Ben Miles
Leaving Iowa--in its West Coast Premiere, at the Laguna Playhouse, through December 14--is billed as a sentimental comedy. And while Tim Clue and Spike Manton's 2004 play (colorfully, if not quite cartoonishly, directed here by Clue), may be more comedically than sentimentally oriented, the nostalgia of the piece will surely be recognized by many theatergoers-- in a manner similar to the way in which we recognized the symptoms of car sickness on one of those long-ago family-filled vehicular getaways: It's a potent brew of giddiness mixed with queasiness and a splash of aggravation.
Indeed, familial vacations serve as the set-up in Leaving Iowa; or, at least partially so. One annually peripatetic nuclear family is the focus of the show. They wander together, presumably in calendared fortnights, searching for respite, bonding, and PBS-like edification--through visits and tours of historic sights, notable landmarks, and memorable birthplaces. The brood's travels and travails are juxtaposed with one man's mission to find a suitable resting place for his father's ashes. Don, a professional journalist, finds himself traipsing around Iowa--the state where he was reared--in an apparently futile attempt to oblige his dad's departing wish with regard to a final resting place. As Don traverses the heartland, out of love, loyalty, and a hint of guilt, images from his past intrude into the present. Not surprisingly, it is Don's childhood memories that are played-out beside him as the story alternates between now and then and back again. Those were the days; or, at least our rose-colored recollections work to convince us that they were. Upon closer examination, however, traveling with Sis, Mom, and Dad wasn't so much a pleasure as it was a measure of patience and repression.
Kevin Symons performs the role of Don, both as an adult character and as his childhood incarnation. Though it is typically a challenge for a grown-up actor to portray a pre-pubescent part, Symons displays a mild-mannered persona that allows us to accept him in each stage of human development. As Sis, Erin Bennett also succeeds in her dual embodiments of Don's sibling. Completely credible, and appropriately obnoxious, as young Sis, Bennett is equally believable as sister-in-womanhood. As Mom, Jill Brennan's task is to personify this mother as the parent to youngsters, as well as an older, widow-woman. Brennan succeeds admirably. Gregory North's Dad is not so much a stereotype or cliché as he is an archetype. We recognize the universality of this paterfamilias, but North ably imprints own personal uniqueness upon this character.
Still, the acting chops of the show are best exemplified in the performances of two actors--Roy Abramsohn and JJ Rodgers. Playing multiple roles, Abramsohn is particularly accomplished as a Civil War re-enactor, just one in several of his chuckle-inducing bits. Rodgers's many portrayals are a hoot as well, but especially when delivering an antsy John Wayne impersonation and then fleeing the stage as she declares how fat she feels when she does that impression (you have to be there to appreciate the full effect of this gag).
John Berger's rolling-hilled, corn-filled scenic design; Dwight Richard Odle's quick-change costuming; and Paulie Jenkins's sometimes sunbathed and, other times, starry-night lighting, leave us with the vague suggestion that Leaving Iowa is more a trip-of- mind and a trick-of-memory than an actual destination. Nonetheless, all aboard.
Leaving Iowa continues at the Laguna Playhouse--606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach--through December 14. Performances are Tuesday - Saturday at 8 p.m. Matinees are Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. There's also Sunday showings at 7 p.m. on November 30 and December 7. There is no performance on Thanksgiving. For reservations, dial (949) 497 - 2787. For more details, visit www.LagunaPlayhouse.com.
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