Noted Wisconsin Actor James Ridge takes audiences on a journey around the world – and perhaps through the vagaries of their own souls – in an offbeat, one-person drama, Underneath the Lintel. Ridge, who has performed at American Players Theater in Spring Green, WI, for 16 years, is no stranger to Milwaukee audiences, either. He is remembered for many roles, including his one-man show, Dickens in America.
Instead of “impersonating” a famous, long-dead author, as he did in Dickens, here Ridge becomes an unknown Dutch librarian. This odd little man, with a graying beard, well-worn tweed sport coat and scuffed brown shoes, tells a most unusual story.
It begins when an overdue library book – and we are talking 113 years overdue – is dropped off anonymously at the library. Ridge is intrigued by this mystery. At first, the librarian coyly calculates the overdue book fee he intends to charge the deadbeat patron. Such improbable musings cause a great deal of laughter, and there are many such moments scattered throughout the production.
Those familiar with Ridge’s expressive acting style will certainly enjoy this show. Under the capable direction of Producing Artistic Director C. Michael Wright, Ridge seems to have no trouble mesmerizing the audience during the show’s 90 minutes.
Glen Berger’s Underneath the Lintel opened in 2001 at Off-Broadway’s Soho Playhouse, with T. Ryder Smith as the Librarian. He received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance.
The charm of Underneath the Lintel derives from the fantastical nature of Ridge’s storytelling. The Librarian’s worldwide search for the laggard also causes him to examine his own life. He returns repeatedly to the tale of his only love, which eventually ended up in another man’s arms. He also peppers his narrative with wonderful anecdotes about a bristly co-worker at his library.
Eventually, the Librarian must break away from his search to take stock of his own situation: no job, no pension, no love, no one who will care a lick about him once he is gone. Reflecting on one foray in which his search for a woman comes to a literal dead end, he says, “There’s nothing like a death to make life seems silly and small.”
And yet, the Librarian seems to overcome any feelings of regret or loss. His endurance serves as an inspiration to those who identify with his situation. For the rest of us, Ridge’s performance is one that glows like a warm ember on a dark winter night.
