Tony Batchelder, left, and Jason Watts perform a scene from "The Harry and Sam Dialogues" at the Heller Theater.
KELLY KERR / Tulsa World

Heller's `Harry and Sam Dialogues' introduces pair of blue-collar philosphers

After a season of dealing with death ("Three Tall Women"), mental cruelty and matricide ("The Beauty Queen of Leenane"), alcoholism ("Side Man"), support groups ("Morning and Night") and religious fanaticism ("Brutality of Fact"), Heller offers up two guys in a bar asking each other "f'rinstance" questions.

"If ya' had the choice would ya' rather love a woman whose top half was a fish and whose bottom half was a woman or a woman whose top half was a woman and whose bottom half was a fish?" Harry asks.

"Good question," responds Sam.

This pair of blue-collar philosophers spends a lot of time asking such absurd questions, but it's in the answers that the audience begins to learn about their real lives -- and why such odd conversations take place as an escape from facing some of life's realities.

"For us, this is pretty light," said Tony Batchelder, who plays Harry in this comedy that opens Thursday night. "There's nobody getting raped, nobody getting killed, no great psychoses to deal with. Instead, there's lots of laughter. We're having fun."

Ultimately, the subject matter would seem to be that of friendship and communication, which seems a good fit considering the cast and crew on this project. Heller artistic director Julie Tattershall searched for a project that would be a good fit for director George Addison -- the longtime Tulsa actor whose stroke a decade ago left him unable to speak his thoughts clearly at all times.

Addison is at the helm of "Harry and Sam," and he's surrounded by people he's familiar with. The two-man cast is Batchelder (Tattershall's husband), with whom Addison has performed before, and Jason Watts (who plays Sam), a Center Stage Players veteran who's worked with Addison for six years.

Then there's stage manager Dody Sullivan, a friend who interprets Addison's instructions at rehearsals.

"I don't guarantee that I'm always right, but he tells me if I'm wrong," she says, laughing as Addison -- a master of facial expressions -- hilariously and loudly verbalizes a "No!" as well as a "Yes!" in her direction.

These folks are friends, and that's made for a strong ensemble process, according to Watts.

"I think the play will be a success if we can communicate the friendship between these two men," he said. "If you can walk out of here feeling like you've known Harry or Sam for 20 years, then we've done our job."

"Well, I think that if people in the audience walk out of here feeling like they want to call a friend they haven't seen for a while, and it's someone who's been their friend for 20 years, then you guys have done your job," Sullivan said.

"It's a matter of trust and communication. We're all learning about communication with this play."

What : Heller Theater's production of "The Harry and Sam Dialogues" by Karen Ellison

When : 8 p.m. Thursday, also 8 p.m. March 8-9, 14-16; 2 p.m. March 10

Where : Heller Theater, 5328 S. Wheeling Ave.

Tickets : $5-$7, may be reserved by calling 746-5065