About two years ago, the Jarrett family suffered the loss of their oldest son Buck, while sailing with his younger brother, Conrad. A freak storm dismasted the sailboat. Buck, a sports jock and all round fun guy, drowned. Judith Guest's book, "Ordinary People," dramatized by Nancy Gilsenan, explores the effect of this tragedy on the family.
Director Jay Mower's inspired direction of this adaptation starts with excellent casting and brilliant use of sound effects and music, under sound designer David Farlow's expertise. The underscoring often creates a very dramatic effect. The opening moments of the play have Conrad (Michael Dean Grulli) writhing on the floor, the couch, and an occasional chair in the Jarrett's living room. Primarily staged under a red light, we are immediately brought into his world of depression. He had already been hospitalized for awhile after a suicide attempt. Grulli's passionate portrayal of pain was so intense that it permeates the theater.
Sharon Lawson plays mom Beth Jarrett. She is by far the most unsympathetic person in the family. Her way of dealing with Buck's death is to shut out any semblance of emotion or love to her family. She immerses herself in travel and ever increasing activities at the country club. She has become a shell, surrounding herself with an impenetrable wall. Lawson's performance rings with authenticity.
Finally, there is father Cal Jarrett, Peter Frankland, a high-caliber and obviously highly paid attorney. He is a man deeply believing that logic is the only way. He attempts, with little success, to be a sounding board for both Conrad and Beth. He tries in vain to follow a middle road of passion to bring his family back together as a cohesive unit. Frankland works well as the thankless Cal.
Conrad give psychiatry a try under Dr. Berger. Thomas McCaverly gives the doctor a very human, yet professional, interpretation, which offers a modicum of humor to the proceedings. While in the hospital, Conrad meets Karen Aldrich, Jessica Parsell, another patient with serious depression issues. Another young lady, Jeannine Prat, Nikki Hagemeyer, a product of a breaking-up home, brings a bit romance to Conrad's life. Both accomplished actresses gave Grulli's character another dimension.
Fellow swimming team members Joe Lazenby, Kevin Hoelscher, and Stillman, Jimmy Christiansen, and Salan, Bob Christiansen, their coach, add to the complexity of Conrad.
Set Designer Chad Oakley manages to create the Jarrett living room, Doctor Berger's office, the high school locker room, and an area where Conrad meets Jeannine and Karen. Through his creative lighting design, the action moves slowly, convincingly from one location to another. I assume it was director Mower's decision to eliminate all hand props, using only hand gestures to imply drinking, carrying luggage, etc. While I tried to ignore this artifice, I did find it annoying.
Otherwise, I wished only that there could be a short talk-back period after the show—a time when audience and actors can talk about the characters and what may lie ahead for each of them. I wanted to hear what Grulli, Frankland, and Lawson really felt in their roles. How did Parsell feel about playing a depressive and how did Hagemeyer feel about a broken home? All played with so much conviction. I did ask Sharon Lawson what her character would be doing after the events of the play, which was an intense discussion.
Ordinary People in their extraordinary circumstances is a tough play to watch. The only thing more difficult would be to miss some excellent performances.
