'Clowns' Centers On A Compelling Figure

'Clowns' centers on a compelling figure

Tight staging, lead performance among highlights of Civic production

STAGE REVIEW

BY JENN MCKEE
News Arts Writer

In one scene of Herb Gardner’s comedy “A Thousand Clowns” (now being staged by the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre), a flustered social worker tells the main character, “You’re not a person, Mr. Burns. You’re an experience.”

And so he is. But it’s precisely this quality that makes Murray Burns so darn compelling - to the other characters as well as to audiences.

Murray (Jimmy Dee Arnold), a quick-witted, mischievous free spirit who recently left his job as a writer for a kids’ television show, has been living with his 14-year-old nephew, Nick (Neal Kelley), since Murray’s sister abandoned the boy at age 5. And although Murray’s unconventional parenting has worked well enough, Nick’s disclosures about his home life in school eventually attract the attention of child welfare services.

Social workers Albert (Kent Klausner) and Sandy (Caroline Hippler) pay a visit to Murray’s New York apartment, and though Sandy is ultimately charmed by Murray and the atmosphere he’s created, Albert and Murray’s brother, Arnold (Jon Elliott), try to make Murray understand if he doesn’t swallow his pride and go back to work, he’ll lose Nick - and any semblance of a family he has.

Arnold must carry the show, ultimately, and he does so with winsome aplomb. His Murray is far more fun than cranky, so consequently, the character’s objections to promoting the status quo translate into thoughtful, amusing insights rather than bitter, middle-aged rants.

Hippler, meanwhile, initially struggled in her early scenes on
opening night. She found her footing soon enough, but there was still the problem of looking a bit young for the part. Indeed, Sandy is supposed to be fresh out of grad school, but Hippler -and Klausner, for that matter -looks not that much older than Kelley (who, by the way, does a mean Peter Lorre impression).

Even so, Elliott turns in another strong supporting performance as Murray’s more conventional, more grounded brother. Late in the show, a scene in which he and Arnold argue about their differing life philosophies is a well-crafted, powerful show-stopper.

The person doing much of the crafting is director Thom Johnson, who skillfully strikes a perfect balance between the play’s levity and seriousness.

In terms of design, co-costumers Cheryl Berteel and Barb Wells do their best work with Kelley, who sports an argyle sweater and small, dark-framed glasses that sit low on his nose; the items make Nick resemble an old man, thus visually highlighting the fact that in Murray’s apartment, the 14-year-old is the adult. Cathy Cassar’s set - though seemingly too neat for a pack rat’s bachelor pad - effectively covers all the bases, and using the side-stage’s wood-paneled border as the backdrop for Arnold’s office was an efficient, inspired choice.

But the set also plays a key role in the impact of the play’s bittersweet, unsettling conclusion. For while we know sacrifices are necessary to keep the ones we love around us, it’s nonetheless quietly heartbreaking to see feisty, independent Murray tamed.

"A Thousand Clowns"continues at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at Towsley Auditorium at Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. Information: call 734-971-2228.