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Regional Reviews: St. Louis Six Degrees of Separation Also see Richard's review of Always... Patsy Cline
It's an excellent production, filled with humor and fine performances—and an exceptionally lithe and delightful turn by Sarajane Alverson as the wife of a wealthy art dealer in Manhattan. But if I told you it was also the story of a charming young black man who begins to seem less and less ideal, and less and less idealistic...well you might hear a strange echo of the latest news, ringing like a telephone in your ears. Theater people all know about the resurgence of interest in Chicago after the O.J. Simpson trial and now, likewise, we may be getting ready to see another burst of popularity for John Guare's 1990 comedy of manners. Broad surveillance practices revealed by the Manchester Guardian (under President Obama) have startled the public in recent days, even though this secret oversight began in the George W. Bush administration. Regardless of how it all started, an air of betrayal adds an unexpected reeling sensation to this play about a promising young African American. On the other hand...I thought I was going to begin by talking about all the marvelous signs of success this production reveals for Stray Dog Theatre. Ten years ago, producer/director Gary F. Bell put this same play on, as the very first Stray Dog show—and I was not very nice about it. So, credit where credit is due: this new production is excellent all the way through, and Mr. Bell was right to follow his own instincts in spite of my unkind words. He kept trying, and as a result I have enjoyed many terrific shows at Stray Dog in the years since then. Maybe I just don't care for the script of this oldest/newest show. John Guare presents us with the worst kind of random venality, which may (or may not) be the result of absent parenting. He also seems to make a huge presumption of class hatred throughout, which may not be as resonant here in a smaller city like St. Louis, where economic extremes may be somewhat less appalling, due to the lower cost of living and much less crowding. As a result, it seems like there's a lot of foreign language in Mr. Guare's unspoken words here. Nevertheless, there's a wonderful directorial flair in the current staging, and the performances are (alternatingly) iconic and natural, oscillating back and forth between the two polar opposites like a dozen tuning forks: creating their own hypnosis on stage. In 2003, there was a frantic, hunkered-down sense in the first Stray Dog production of Six Degrees. Now, it's as if everyone has been set free, and a fierce collective intelligence is at work all the way through. Greg Fenner is perfect as Paul, the young man with ties to the famed actor/director Sidney Poitier, and with a lovely (borrowed?) grasp of "The Catcher in the Rye." And Gerry Love is eager and anxious as a top-level art dealer. In fact, we can borrow the tools of Paul's ample literary insight to mine some gold buried within the structure of the play: Mr. Love's art dealer is almost exclusively focused on finding the wealthiest buyers for his art; while his wife (Ms. Alverson) looks for the deeper meaning in both people and art. Combine the two and you get Paul, who seems to go back and forth between the two perspectives, finding the wealthiest targets for his country club pretentions, and the meaning in his surprising relationships with them as well. Maybe, in a purely literary sense, he becomes their son, as he will ultimately claim. In Mr. Guare's universe, parent-child relationships are founded on a lot less. The stage is crowded with great talent this time, and there are a lot of good surprises in the direction, and an overwhelming sense of heartbreak near the end. Awkward though it may be, the play itself deserves a second look in these uncertain times on the political stage as well. Through June 22, 2013, at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave. For more information visit www.straydogtheatre.org or call (314) 865-1995. Cast Crew
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