Shifting Moods Mark "Time"
By Aram Kouyoumdjian
Critics’ Forum
Theater
6.24.06
A harsh reality of theater is that monumental works of drama-say, those
with epic-sized casts or taxing technical demands-are rarely produced.
The limiting factor is economic: theaters either lack the resources
to undertake such productions or simply cannot afford them.
Few plays illustrate this harsh reality as well as William Saroyan’s
"The Time of Your Life." The foremost Armenian-American playwright’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork boasts a script rich with lyricism.
But it requires nearly two dozen actors, which renders it practically
untouchable.
To my knowledge, the play has not been professionally staged since
an exquisite 2002 production by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company
in Chicago. (Rather than mounting its own production, the Seattle
Repertory Company simply imported the Steppenwolf show in 2004,
as did the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco).
So the mere fact that the Open Fist Theatre Company is presenting
"The Time of Your Life" in Hollywood (through July 1) is welcome news.
That this esteemed troupe acquits itself with an impressive production
doubles the delight.
Set in San Francisco at the outset of World War II, "The Time of Your
Life" traces the bustle at Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon. It revolves,
in part, around Joe, a wealthy dreamer and a regular at the bar,
where he endlessly sips champagne and soaks up the atmosphere of the
diverse characters who drift in and out of the joint. Saroyan crafts
a gorgeous mosaic of humanity flowing through the saloon, which
makes "The Time of Your Life" more of a lovely mood piece-funny,
heartbreaking, and redemptive-rather than a strictly plot-driven
narrative.
The denizens of Nick’s watering hole include longshoremen,
prostitutes, corrupt cops, a starving piano player, a pinball addict,
a philosophizing immigrant, and that indelible teller of tall tales,
Kit Carson. Even as these eccentrics struggle with life’s hardships,
they cling, in true Saroyan style, to innocence and hope in their
search for a better, decent life; for work; or for someone to love.
The play’s nominal love story involves Joe’s underling, Tom, and Kitty
Duvall, the prostitute he seeks to save from the streets. Its best
love scene, however, comes as a brief, poetic, altogether surreal
encounter between Joe and Mary, a married woman who strolls into
the bar. In their few minutes together (we never see Mary again),
Joe declares his love for her. Although unable to welcome his love,
Mary admits to being happy with the thought that Joe will pine for
her after she’s gone from his life. The scene’s simple beauty lies
in its depiction of a world where people cross paths as in a dream,
where love is instantly felt and confessed, where longings forever
linger in memory.
For the Steppenwolf production in Chicago, director Tina Landau had
heightened the dream-like quality of Saroyan’s play through a fluid,
stylized manner of movement, at times in rhythm with impeccable
musical choices that punctuated the production and underscored its
transcendent closing tableau.
The Open Fist production-probably funded with only a fraction of
the Steppenwolf budget-cannot match the visual flair of Landau’s
panoramic staging, which had elevated background action to high art.
Nevertheless, as directed by Stefan Novinski, the production is
an accomplished one, sensitive to the shifting moods of Saroyan’s
script. Although he allows the pace to slacken at times, Novinski
deftly handles the challenges of the play’s sprawling storylines.
He elicits fine performances from a talented cast, including Michael
Franco, who ably captures the duality of Joe’s buoyancy and bitterness,
and Bruce A. Dickinson, who nails the deadpan hilarity of Kit Carson.
The period set designed by Donna Marquet creates an authentic milieu
for the action.
While the opportunity to experience an infrequently revived Saroyan
play may be reason enough to see "The Time of Your Life," it’s the
charmed combination of strong acting and intelligent direction that
makes this Open Fist production a rare treat indeed.
All Rights Reserved: Critics’ Forum, 2006
Aram Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting
("The Farewells") and directing ("Three Hotels"). His performance
piece, "Protest," was recently staged at the Finborough Theatre
in London.
You can reach him or any of the other contributors to Critics’
Forum at [email protected]. This and all other articles
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