Curtain Call
‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ extends run
By LEE CLARK ZUMPE
| Article published on Monday, June 15, 2009 |
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ST. PETERSBURG – For those who are familiar with the best-selling book, American Stage Theatre Company’s faithful adaptation of “Tuesdays with Morrie,” by Jeffrey Hatcher after Mitch Albom, will reaffirm the work’s ideology regarding life’s opportunities and the inevitability of death.
For those who have not read the book, don’t expect blatant sentimentality and schmaltziness: In any form, “Tuesdays with Morrie” is not a mundane tearjerker.
American Stage Theatre Company has extended the run of the hit play, “Tuesdays with Morrie” through July 5 at the new Raymond James Theatre, 163 Third St. N.. Tuesday, June 30 will be a “Pay What You Can” night, and there will be no 3 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, July 4. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.
Tickets range from $24 to $39 depending on date and time of performance. Call 823-7529 or visit americanstage.org.
It is fortuitous that “Tuesdays with Morrie,” a story about life’s inexorable progress and moving forward following a loss, is American Stage’s first production in its new theater. Artistic director Todd Olson acknowledged that fact in a short speech before the June 3 preview, reminding the audience that they were the first to see any play performed upon the brand new stage.
The story centers on Mitch Albom, who learns his college professor and mentor – a man he has not spoken to for 16 years – is dying of ALS. Having abandoned the aspirations of youth in favor of a frantic career as a successful sports journalist, Mitch finds himself reconnecting with sociologist Morrie Schwartz, who he affectionately refers to as “Coach.”
Mitch agrees to meet Morrie every Tuesday, to learn about the process of dying and gain insights on living a more fulfilling life.
Mitch is portrayed by Chaz Mena. Mena appeared in the American Stage season opener “By the Waters of Babylon” by Robert Shennken. In “Tuesdays with Morrie,” Mena enthusiastically and effectively affects the character’s gradual transformation. From an idealistic and optimistic college student to a jaded journalist hustling his way up the ladder, Mena’s Mitch is multifaceted and is a role deserving of this versatile actor.
Michael Edwards, a graduate of the famed Pasadena Playhouse and the U.S. International University School of Performing Arts, plays Morrie. Edwards makes each truism shimmer with a spark of novelty.
More importantly, he depicts the credible advance of the debilitating disease.
“Tuesdays with Morrie” is a two-man show, although stage hands dressed as benevolent caretakers often move through the shadows, shifting furniture as the action moves from scene to scene.
Director T. Scott Wooten has taken care not to make the production seem like an oversimplification of the book. The play runs about 90 minutes with no intermission, and in that time the audience gets to know the two characters quite well. The story moves along swiftly and smoothly, with no awkward moments and no gaps in dialogue.
Since “Tuesdays with Morrie” serves as the premiere performance at the new Raymond James Theatre, it is worth noting that American Stage’s new digs are more than satisfactory. The spacious lobby with cozy furnishings is a welcome change. The 182-seat L-shaped theater retains the intimacy of the old theater’s design but is infinitely more elegant.
Correction: Corrected date of “Pay What You Can” night.
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Article published on Monday, June 15, 2009
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