REVIEW: On the Verge lost in the underbrush
In the 1800s, heroic (male) explorers set out from Mother England to tame and colonize the unruly dark lands beyond the British border.
What history failed to note was that Mary Baltimore, Fanny Cranberry and Alex Cafuffle decked out in proper Victorian long dresses, pith helmets and brollies, and as intrepid as any male explorers, set out to explore “Terra Incognita” – that little known area “somewhere between Australia and Peru.”
The play is Eric Overmyer’s whimsical On the Verge and the three plucky pilgrims are currently “whacking the bushes” at the U of A Studio Theatre’s Timms Centre for the Arts until Dec. 8.
Taking the occasional break from the jungle for a decorous picnic (complete with nice British snacks) and to discuss such weighty topics as “should women wear men’s trousers,” they tell whoppers about their previous adventures. Fanny (Lauren Hughes) tells of teaching headhunters to play croquet using proper balls instead of human heads. “There are two kinds of people. There are cannibals – and there’s lunch,” she explains earnestly.
The trio are not alone in the jungle primaeval. Along the way they meet a rogue’s gallery of natives, like a cannibal dressed in a German uniform (the unfortunate owner of which was indeed “lunch”). There are ice floes, crocodiles, a baby Yeti, a fearsome snow tiger and a Troll who speaks in rhyming doggerel.
As the ladies probe more deeply into the frontier they begin to discover strange artifacts. They are perplexed by an eggbeater (which they finally decide might be a “marsupial unicycle”). As they uncover these strange contrivances, they begin to understand that they are travelling in the future as much as they are across geography. They are beginning to talk in strange words – like jacuzzi, Cool Whip, juke box and others. Or as they phrase it, “We are absorbing the future through osmosis.”
These ladies are not out of the, “Oh, aren’t they cute pretending to be men” school of writing. Overmyer’s tone immediately lets us know that we are deep in a light-hearted comic romp that addresses feminism, space & time, the ineffable lure of adventure and, ultimately, what seems to be the siren call of commercialism as they experience the good life in the Las Vegas (called “Paradise“ here) of 1955.
What Overmyer has done is turn the tale of Victorian colonialism on its ear by having his characters assumed by the American cultural juggernaut of the 1950s.
The three lady seekers are terrific – and quite different in character. As Mary, Leila Raye-Crofton is the leader of the trio – a strong Victorian personality to lead them through time and space. Melanie Bahniuk (Alex) is giggly and emotional and not quite ready for the rigours of the trip (“I wish the jungle was more like a park,” she wails). Lauren Hughes is the stout hearted one you’d want at your side, but is really the first to succumb to the blandishments of the voluptuous good life of rock ‘n’ roll and the romantic promises of a hip gent who runs a casino.
Of special note is Michael Anderson, who plays everyone else in the world. This skilled comic actor is able to create creatures that lurk to hinder, frighten and seduce the ladies all over Terra Incognita, and gives each of his creations a comic spin and human dimension at the same time.
Overmyer’s play extends relentlessly over two hours and 45 minutes (with intermission). He gives us three women of spirit, intellect and fortitude, but burdens them with repetition and long, slow slogs thorough much dialogue that seems to be something of a place holder until something interesting comes along. There is no doubt he’s a good writer (Law & Order/The Wire) and his use of language throughout shows he is a dab hand at satire. But it’s not good enough to carry the entire length of the play. There is a really funny, pointed and articulate satire struggling to get out from under all that self-indulgence.
Despite the heroic efforts of three animated, vivacious and talented actresses, one exuberant supporting player and a director (Kathleen Weiss) who, judging from her ability to make the good moments really work, is a talent to watch – these ladies on the verge get lost in the underbrush.
Photos by Ed Ellis
#ontheverge #studiotheatre #ericovermyer
