What I Did Last Summer, written by A.R. Gurney, is supposed to be a nostalgic World War II-era comedy about a 14-year-old boy rebelling against his upper-middle class upbringing. The play is actually a dull drama about that awkward stage of life between child- and adulthood. And it came across with all the gawkiness and melodrama of your typical preteen. Whether this was due to writing, directing or acting remains a mystery.
However, having a 14-year-old boy played by a grown adult, and his 16-year-old friend by a balding adult, did not help the situation. In fact, the program had a specific note warning the viewer that leaps of imagination would have to be made to accept character ages and the manipulation of simple stage elements. Unfortunately, the imagination was not given much help on the actors' part, though they did do an amazing job of miming such activities as riding and driving in a car.
To be fair, the lackluster performance cannot be fully blamed on the actors. Swirnow was packed for the Sunday matinee, and no one clapped after scenes or chuckled for the few weak jokes. Theatre Hopkins is not a school-affiliated company and relies on patronage from the much older community. And the show's audience was much, much older. There was not much energy generated for the performers to work off of.
However, there were sparkling performances in the midst of too-long monologues and clich8ed action. Binnie Ritchie Holum, playing the notorious and intriguing Anna Trumbull, infused her character with passion and wit. Her character becomes the mentor of the rebellious Charlie (played by Jonas Grey) and teaches him to think for himself and to discover his potential. Delivering speeches about the bourgeois oppression inherent in grass and the wild vulgarity of eating a tomato, which should have put the lethargic audience to sleep for good, she single-handedly gave life and deeper purpose to the show. The award for breaking the age barrier goes to Laurel Burggraf as Bonny, Charlie's long time friend and secret crush. Perhaps she picked up her magnificent eye rolls from her job as a teacher at St. Paul's School, but her innocent cuteness is what made the character most believable. She was best in bemoaning the difficulties of being a woman, sneaking out to go to the amusement park and having a regular baby sitting job.
Also performing well was Hopkins' own Kateri Chambers. The senior English major didn't have to work as hard to fit her role as Charlie's older sister, a teenager in college with a penchant for getting her little brother in trouble. Her contribution to the comedy was a series of addresses to the audience that "This play is not about mec9" She captured the difficulties of verging on adulthood in a time where being an adult had serious demands, among them providing for the war effort.
Jonas Grey played the main character, Charlie, with an energy and wit that at times seemed inappropriate for an immature teenager. Talking too knowingly about sexual frustrations, Grey's lines came across as awkward and vulgar, not teen-angst funny. However, he did master the deadly bad posture/whiny voice/mopey teen combo. And when talking about cars, (they came up quite often), he lit up with the childish glow that almost every man gets when thinking about his favorite toy.
Other performances by Rob Douglas as Charlie's older, Canadian friend, and Judy Thornton as Charlie's mom, where less than stellar, in part because both had trouble remembering lines and a distinct lack of emotion.
What I Did Last Summer culminated in a few twist endings that at least gave satisfying closure to the drab story. Perhaps with a little more youthful energy, which was lacking in the acting but even more distinctly in the audience, the true potential of this comedy could shine.
What I Did Last Summer is showing at the Swirnow Theater from Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5. Tickets are $15 general admission and $5 for student rush seats.
