Over a period of six weeks—the passage of time is recorded by illuminated signs across the top of the stage—these four people of different ages, genders and backgrounds role play, work on expressing emotion, reveal some of their inner secrets and explore relationships with each other. Baker’s play consists of a kaleidoscope of scenes, most of them short, making for a dizzying experience. By the time the group has attempted for the second or third time to count to ten without two people saying a number at the same time, the audience laughs at the familiarity of the exercise and the apparent ridiculousness of it. (Above from left: Amanda Sykes as Theresa, Nick Wyman as James, Sandy Duncan as Marty and Tom Riis Farrell as Schultz engage in an acting exercise.) The most effective exercises involve each character “playing” another and telling the others about his/her background; an imaginary scene involving one character’s parents but revealing more about the actors (Marty and her husband Nick) portraying them; and a scene in which the class members write down their innermost secrets, which are then picked randomly and read by another. Otherwise, most of the exercises were boring and repetitive.
The problem with the play is that Baker never reveals Marty’s qualifications for the role of acting teacher. In fact, the only thing Marty reveals about her personal life is the night she met her husband James. Otherwise, she plays it very close to the vest. Who is this woman and why should we be interested in and trust her? And that Jim is a member of the class doesn’t really fly either, for it would not be very ethical for the teacher’s spouse to join a class where one bears his/her soul, given the dynamic between the two.
As Marty, Sandy Duncan (left) doesn’t have much to do in the way of emoting; she merely sets up the exercises for the others. Otherwise, she gets to wear a variety of casual outfits without changing her demeanor or letting us see the human and vulnerable side of this individual. The other actors manage to do this very well, however. Tom Riis Farrell is perfect as the schlubby, newly divorced Schultz, who joins the class out of loneliness. His awkard attempts to connect with the lovely and much younger Theresa are both touching and humorous. The flirty Theresa, played by a delicious Amanda Sykes, has come to make friends (she’s only lived in town for five months) and polish up her acting techniques; according to her, she was an actress in New York for a while. Sykes makes Theresa a kindhearted character; in her responses to Schultz’s clumsy overtures, she is warm and somewhat welcoming for a while, making the older man feel attractive and wanted. Marty’s hippie husband James, played by Nick Wyman, is a bit of a cipher;
just why he’s joined a class led by his wife is a mystery. He opens up to Theresa about his strained relations with his daughter from an earlier marriage. In fact, he evidently told a great deal to this young woman who goes on to role play as James and reveals quite a bit about his back story. Kudos go especially to Sandie Rosa who plays the teenage actress wannabe Lauren. Talk about closed off! Rosa is turned so far inward at the outset that we barely see her face, but as her character opens up, we see that perhaps she is the one member of the class who gets something out of it (and she is the one who asks, “When are we going to do some real acting in this class?”). Her final scene with Schultz, where they act out meeting ten years later, is eye-opening and optimistic. (Above from L-R: Sandy Duncan as Marty, Nick Wyman as James, Sandie Rosa as Lauren, Tom Riis Farrell as Schutlz and Amanda Sykes as Theresa listen as Marty tells a personal story.)Production values for Circle Mirror Transformation are solid. R. Michael Miller’s set is the quintessential Y all-purpose room, complete with piano, exercise ball, folding chairs and bulletin board. Jennifer Moeller’s costumes perfectly convey the characters’ inner lives. And Joe Saint manages to get the bright fluorescent lights right—you know, the ones that illuminate all our flaws—turning them on and off ad infinitum.
As a play, Circle Mirror Transformation leaves a lot to be desired. The conflict is minimal, some of the playwright’s choices are odd and the scenes seem to go on forever. But most of the acting rings true as the actors do the best with what they’ve been given. Oh, and that strange title? Well, it refers to one of the many acting exercises Marty inflicts on her students. To what end, who knows?
Circle Mirror Transformation will be performed at the George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, through October 31. Performances are Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 PM (except Thursday, October 14, at 2 PM); Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM; and Sundays at 7 PM (except for October 31). For information and tickets, call 732.246.7717 or visit online at http://www.gsponline.org/.
