by Shar White. Produced by Perseverance Theatre
Losers and outsiders are always interesting to me. Ulysses, the terminally ill poet living on pennies from old poetry royalties in his decrepit trailer, and his brilliant wife Emma who sacrificed her literary career to put on emotional armor for her son and build a dry cleaning empire are perfect examples. The secret that they share, which they can only unravel with each other’s help, gives this dialogue-driven play a tension and structure like a great mystery, staged in claustrophobic setting with just the two characters onstage, plus several important offstage presences, including a hungry dog, and solicitous good Samaritan, and their son ‘junior’, who is somewhere on an interstate, driving towards them. The way these two broken people unravel their mystery drew me to this piece.
Kevin T. Bennett is an actor I met while working on Of Mice and Menat Perseverance- He played George. Ulysses was perfect for him. When Rebecca George agreed to play Emma, I had someone who had the skills and presence to spar with Kevin and be the stronger, more enduring soul. Emma’s arrival, her real care for Ulysses, her willingness despite the pain of their past to stay and work through the evidence, are all about her love for her son. Emma’s holding that sentiment for him kept us aware of junior’s impending arrival, lending tension that helped greatly.
I had an idea what the show would look like, and unlike other projects where I’ve hired set designers, decided to take on figuring out this space myself, with the help of Kevin and Rebecca. Both actors are also good directors, and we were able to be work on what Ulysses’ home would look like about three months before we began working on rehearsals. Like with An Iliad, this head start helped us let the text settle, as well as the clear benefit of understanding together how the space worked for both characters before we started living in it. The end result was funny, tight, and tragic.
“Laughter opened Perseverance Theatre's production of the play on Friday night as the lights went up to reveal Ulysses (Kevin T. Bennett) wearing nothing but an apron and an oxygen tank, standing at the stove of his tiny, cluttered, claustrophobic trailer, his backside facing the audience.” Anchorage Daily News review by Mike Dunham, September, 2015. Click here for the full review.
Stage Managed by Anne Szelinski
Sets by Art Rotch with Rebecca George and Kevin T. Benett - Lights by Lauren M Miller - Costumes by Colleen Alexis Metzger - Composition and Sound by Lucy Peckham
Technical Director: Ernest Eckerson
Cast:
Rebecca George as Emma
Kevin T Bennet as Ulysses
