Review: 'Escanaba in da Moonlight'
By KAREN SHADE World Scene Writer
06/14/2005
Slapstick humor can carry play only so far
If the problems of five men bent on shooing the evil hunting spirits so they can take home a hefty helping of venison interests you, you can't go wrong with "Escanaba in da Moonlight."
On the other hand, slapstick and superstition set in a cabin and served with a craving for meat pies doesn't exactly make for the most compelling stuff you'll find on stage in Tulsa.
That's OK. Heller Theatre has put out enough dramas that everyone needs something lighter to take the edge off.
Actor Jeff Daniels may have felt the same way when he penned this wacky ode to men's rituals.
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Joseph Gomez (left), Jason Watts, George Nelson, Whitson Hanna and Andy Axewell appear in Heller Theatre's production of "Escanaba in da Moonlight."
A. CUERVO / Tulsa World
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Does "Escanaba" feel like a comment on life and meaning? No. But it does say something about the experience -- most often in a ridiculous way.
Albert Soady (Andy Axewell) shares the story of his family. He's a man who thinks of time in terms of hunting seasons, he remembers specifically an evening in November 1989, the first day of Reuben Soady's linchpin season.
If Reuben (Joseph Gomez), Albert's son, doesn't hunt down, shoot and gut a deer this season, he will be cursed as the oldest man in his family never to get a buck.
Reuben's brother and father already feel
as if he is jinxed and fear to have him hunt anywhere near them. Luckily for Reuben, his wife is Ojibwa and has an appropriately pungent, natural recipe for any problem he might encounter. Next time, try porcupine urine to top off any good-luck potion.
Daniels tries to tie a sense of American Indian spiritual practice with quirky hunting good luck charms. But the effect works for laughs in a way that borders on mocking Ojibwa practices.
"Escanaba" is hilarious with its outrageous characters reacting to the supernatural stirrings around camp. At the end of the first act, Gomez plays his straight man with a light enough touch to move around the mad antics of the rest of the cast, but by the end of the play, Reuben turns into a drama-doused character pulled from another play and set down into this comic tall tale.
Director Jeff Cruncleton has assembled a fine cast of support players, working well together and displaying a sound sense of comic timing.
With the entire cast on the same page, "Escanaba in da Moonlight" can be even better, especially if you're into comedy running on flatulence.
The play continues at the theater, 5328 S. Wheeling Ave., at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Call 746-5065.
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To contact the webmaster e-mail alb74066@aol.com or Heller Theatre at Parktheater@ci.tulsa.ok.us
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