Every now and then Jocasta, Stage Mama's third cousin twice removed, comes to town for a visit. She loves theatre, so when she heard that the Empire Arts Theatre Co. was performing David Harrower's 2005 play Blackbird, she knew she had to make time and see it. Here's her review from last night's performance:
Now, you all know Jocasta is no stranger to sexual controversy. Or, maybe you don't know it. But let's just say I have a few skeletons knocking around in my closet. The heart loves who it loves, okay? But as Luther Ingram crooned: if you knew that loving someone was wrong, would you want to be right?
Yes, this show has some nasty words. But nasty words are gonna be used when the plot revolves around a woman, who fifteen years after the act, seeks out the man who had an "affair" with her when she was 12 and he was 40. A plot like that is going to call for some strong language, and if the language is going to bother you but not the plot, you might want to give some deep thought to that.
So, we have some nasty words and a plot revolving around a pedophile and his victim, now an adult. Why in the world would anyone want to see this play? Is it entertainment?
I suppose some might find it "entertaining," just like some find cock fights entertaining.
No, you don't buy a ticket to see Blackbird because it's going to make you roll in your seat laughing, or cause you to tap your toe.
You go see Blackbird because it allows you to become a fly on the oh, so messy break room wall where a victim confronts her abuser, whom she thought (thinks?) she loved when she was 12-years old. You go to see Blackbird because -- while in Jocasta's opinion there ain't no excuse for an adult to have sex with a minor -- you want to hear what this guy has to say. How's he rationalize his actions? Can he rationalize his actions? (Just go ahead and try, buster.)
You go to Blackbird because two local actors bravely take on these roles. So, let's talk about them.
Paige Greenwood, who plays "Una," earned her BFA in Theatre from NDSU, which is why she may be a new face to GF theatre-goers. Her bio in the program states she plans to enroll in the graduate acting program at Mankato State in the fall. The kid's clearly got chops. The role requires her to turn the volume up on anger, grief, disillusionment, confusion, and pain. It seems that her life began and ended when she met "Ray" the man who raped her when she was 12. I believe that "rape" is my word not hers. Or she may have identified it as rape but she could have easily used the phrase "made love" . You see, she's confused about what her feelings were, what her feelings are, what his feelings were/are . . . and this confusion pours out over the course of her interrogation of Ray in the very messy break room of his place of employment. Ms. Greenwood does an excellent job sustaining the messy emotions required of the role. It is shame she's moving to Mankato. She's one I'd like to see again on another Grand Forks stage. Like maybe the Fire Hall's. Then there's the character of Ray, played by Darin Kerr. Yes, that tall drink of water local theatre lovers of a certain-age have enjoyed watching grow up on stages from GF to Frost Fire and every little nook and theatrical cranny in between. He left the community for a spell to pursue a Ph.D. at Bowling Green University then -- lucky GFs -- returned. He's been instrumental in the success of shows at the Empire Arts Center -- both as director and actor. I am told that due to administrative incompetence, his position at UND has been eliminated and Dr. Kerr will be seeking new theatrical opportunities in the Twin Cities area. In fact, this may be his last turn on local stages in a dramatic role. (He is slated to perform in this summer's Putnam County Spelling Bee. You will be able to laugh and tap your toe at that one.) Seeing Kerr in the role of Ray, whom this reviewer found mostly repugnant, reminded her of Kerr's turn as the priest in the play DOUBT, produced a few years back at the Empire. (He was guilty as charged by the nun!) Bad actors relish playing repugnant characters. It's easy to over act when playing the bad guy. Uh, not this actor. Jocasta can never understand why a 40-year old man would entertain seducing and then acting on that seduction of a child, but Kerr does not play Ray as a monster. There are times when Ray seems sincerely confused about his actionsf. That confusion comes off as genuine in the capable hands of Kerr. At one point in the play, Una asks him if he was molested as a child. Ray tells her he wasn't, at least he doesn't think he was. He says the prosecutors would have gone easier on him had he been. But no. That's not the explanation for doing what he did. There is no real explanation for why he acted on his lust. He won't even admit to feeling lust at their first meeting at a family barbeque. (There's a whole weird thing about his single pair of shorts. But while it's weird -- it's just the kind of detail people become fixated upon when recalling a critical incident in their lives. Paraphrasing here: "I would have known if I was sexually attracted to you -- I was wearing my only pair of shorts!")
In any case, bravo to Dr. Kerr for taking on this role. He brings humanity to what many would play as a one-dimensional perv.
There is a third character at the end of the show, played by Miss Tessa Sanner, just recently turned 13. She is charming and sweet and innocent and persistent in her short time on stage -- just what the play calls for to make us question everything we have just heard and witnessed.
Finally, no review is complete without some commentary on the set. There is none. Emily Montgomery, the Empire's Executive Director, is on maternity leave, and it's clear some things have been left to slide. (Really, actors -- clean up your mess!)
No, Jocasta just JK-ing. Blackbird is staged in the black box in the basement of the Empire. The messy break room with the ugly overhead fluorescent lights are clearly a metaphor for the situation that unfolds. In the glaring ugly light of a barren break room, we are going to sift through the mess that Ray made of both their lives.
Got it. Liked it. It all works, Mr. Berg. Congratulations on a challenging undertaking.