Oleanna, by David Mamet, snappily directed by Doug Hughes, tells of a well-meaning, somewhat full-of-himself, earnest professor (Bill Pullman) meeting with and being accused by student with a bug up her ass (Julia Styles). He foolishly tries to help her, stepping beyond boundaries he should know about.
Here's what I saw: A nervous, neurotic professor with tremendous tension in his mouth, with ongoing lip-clamping-like an amphetimine addict. A non-comprehending student in Scene 1 whose I.Q. jumps about 50 points in Scene 2. She's able to comprehend and use language she doesn't understand in Scene 1. In Scene 3 there is great emotional flow that is varied and clear as the harassed man tries to survive. The play is a construction built to have two strong adversaries in intersex confrontation and battle.
Sure it's interesting, and in this case, well-acted. Stiles is terrific, and Pullman, despite his twitches, is quite good. The set by Neil Patel is appropriate; the lighting by Donald Holder is weird -- when she declaims, there is extra bright light turned on which shines on her and in the eyes of the audience. The escalation of the idiocy of her complaints, for me, justifies his rage at the end - and Mamet's construction is quite an emotional trip.
