The Voice of the Prairie
Jumping from America in 1895 to 1923 would drive a Rip Van Winkle nuts, the changes were so sweeping. John Olive's comedy-drama flits back and forth, showing the rise of radio from itinerant disc jockeys in the hinterlands to David Sarnoff beginning NBC. Young Davey Quinn runs off with Frankie, a blind woman. After they're separated, Quinn tries to find her, through the "ether" of the airways, by telling their tale on the radio. The relentlessly nonlinear play is tricky to stage, since only three actors must handle all the parts (adding a fourth actor would make it less a tour de force but would give it more fluidity). The North Coast Rep's staging, beautifully directed by Lynn Griffin, treats the occasionally flawed play as a masterpiece. Griffin and her excellent cast have found all the humor and have added depth to one-dimensional roles: savvy David Meyers as Quinn and others; Jason Maddy quite funny as nervous Leon (though his preacher, James, is too cartoony); and the outstanding Amanda Sitton as blind Frankie and garrulous Susie. Marty Burnett's set, a vast wheat field behind a scrim, ranks among his most appealing. Renatta Lloyd's appropriately bindle-stiff costumes and Sean Sullivan's original music flavor scenes with authenticity.
Worth a try.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, June 20, 2010
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm & 7pm |
| Wednesdays, 8pm |
| Thursdays, 8pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 8pm |