As the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, Pogo the Possum, once reported, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." In a nutshell, that's the story of "Conversations With My Father," the searing, passionate drama by Herb Gardner that opened the New Jewish Theatre's 13th season last night in the Clayton High School Auditorium. It runs through Oct. 18.
Love them or hate them, we all grow up to be our parents, and Gardner, who reportedly had a stormy relationship with his own father, was cognizant of the fact.
"Conversations" is long and difficult, and audiences will find they'll miss a word here and there. It's a multi-pronged problem stemming from occasional heavy dialect, not-so-good acoustics in the theater, younger actors who don't always project as they should and a tendency for the cast to sometimes race ahead, swallowing a word or two along the way. With a three-hour play, the latter is understandable.
Under the solid, well-focused direction of Sidney J. Friedman, on the Washington U. faculty 1966-81 and now at Boston University, the cast offers stellar performances, with plaudits for Maria Tholl, credited as dialect coach.
Peter Mayer, a Washington U. student in "Our Town," when he was last directed by Friedman, is a standout in the long and arduous role of Eddie, owner of a series of shabby saloons that house big dreams. He changes his name from Goldberg to Ross, privately to cloud his Jewishness, publicly to honor Jewish boxer Barney Ross. Eddie, looking for "connections" as he claws for a larger piece of the pie, is angry and pugnacious, insisting everyone live on his terms.
Few local actors handle anger as well as Mayer, and there's a flinch in the audience when he gets wound up. He and Kari Ely, tightly controlled as his wife in a small but vital part, were married earlier in the year, making this appearance a reprise.
Alan Knoll is superb as Zaretsky, a long-time player in the Yiddish theater who lives with the family when he is between engagements. Knoll has the old actor down pat, his ego strong, his memory matchless, his love for the classics strong, his Jewishness vital and his knowledge of what would become known as the Holocaust a key moment.
Gardner's play, with older and younger family members often on stage at the same time, and with some back-and-forth jumps in time as the story advances from 1936 to 1976, needs attention, but Friedman's direction keeps identities clear. B. Weller stands out as Eddie's son, Charlie, who serves as a narrator, too, and Billy Kelly does nice work as Joey, Eddie's other son.
Dunsi Dai designed an outstanding set that looks like several generations of South St. Louis saloons, Glenn Dunn's lights add proper emphasis and Robin Weatherall's sound design makes music an occasional player.
By the New Jewish Theatre at Clayton High School, through Oct. 18
–Joe