"Rag and Bone" falls short of potential

Noah Haidle's philosophical comedy "Rag and Bone" has nothing to do with either rags or bones. It is a play about hearts and emotions and the complexities of having and not having them. The Gambier Repertory Ensemble Actors Theater (G.R.E.A.T.) staged a production of this unique play on April 28 and 29 in the Black Box Theater under the direction of Matt Crowley '11 with the stage management of Alyssa White '12.

Crowley did a superb job of making use of the limited space of the Black Box. The scenery was sparse but well-placed, and the walls were covered in colorful chalk drawings that served to transport the audience from a ladder store to a brothel and then to Bermuda with minimum effort. Unfortunately, the production did not take advantage of this ease of conversion from setting to setting. Instead of bringing down the lights during scene changes, the lights were left up, and each scene began and ended with a short series of chimes, as if to say, "the scene is now over." The actors entered and exited each scene as if the lights were out, which, combined with the chimes, gave the production a slightly jerky feel and stunted the emotional impact of many scenes.

Jack Dwyer '12 played the childish but sweet Jeff, who manages The Ladder Store, which, little does he know, is a front for black market human hearts, a business operated by his brother George, played by Bryan Kurtzman '12. Dwyer's performance was heartfelt and entertaining. His na'veté was believable, and he radiated the character's childish delight in simple things. His cuteness, however, sometimes overshadowed his character's feelings. Kurtzman, like several actors, actually played two roles; one as George, and the other as George and Jeff's mother, whose heart was transplanted into George's body. As George, Kurtzman gave a good performance-full of anger and exasperation-but he shined more brightly as the mother, decked out in a dress. His performance was genuinely entertaining, and not just because of the cross-dressing; he fit into the role of an alcoholic but well-meaning mother quite well.

Reed Stokes '11 played the Poet whose heart George stole. Stokes assumed the role of a man who can no longer feel deeply and let the character's underlying frustration at his fall from grace appear from under a blank mask. Unfortunately, he kept the mask on even after his heart was returned, and his impassioned poems fell a bit flat. Amanda Martin '12 played the Millionaire (who is, oddly enough, an obviously male character), who is the opposite of the Poet: a man with no heart who buys the Poet's stolen heart. As the heartless Millionaire, Martin was excellent as a man with no empathy for others. As the poetic Millionaire, her lines seemed more than a little overacted.

Jack McKean '12 and Emma Farnsworth '11 played the sensitive pimp T-Bone and his Hooker, respectively. McKean's performance left much to be desired. Though he looked the part to a T, his lines were a bit lackluster, and his emotional soliloquies were as awkward as his attempts to bully the Hooker. Farnsworth's performance was good and mostly genuine, and her bawdy humor got the most laughs. Caroline Lindy '12 rounded out the cast as both a Customer and a Waiter. Her appearances were brief, but her portrayal of the Waiter was humorous and memorable.

Overall, "Rag and Bone" was not all it could have been. All of the actors in it have proven themselves to be very good in the past, but their talent was not at its best in this production. That, on top of the jerky scene transitions, detracted a great deal from what was otherwise a funny and deep performance.