 |
Helen Harvester, Kim Morris, Ian Lindsay and Robert
Gallaher
in Leaving Iowa. Photo by Erik
Stuhaug.
|
Robert Gallaher and Kim Morris, two of Taproot Theatre’s
veteran actors, headline the regional premiere of “Leaving Iowa” by Tim clue
and Spike Manton. The comedy, told partially in flashback, is about Don
Browning (Ian Lindsay) and his memories of his family’s road trips years ago.
Gallaher plays his dad and Morris, his mom. They are joined by Helen Harvester
playing Sis. The four of them spend a good amount of time on stage on a little
box resembling the family’s car.
The road trip scene take place before the invention of iPods,
video games and portable DVD players. The only entertainment Don and his sister
have is two dog-eared Mark Twain books which neither of them is eager to read.
The play features everything you remember from your own road trips including,
but not limited to, “She’s teasing me!”, “So help me, I will turn this car
around!” and “Who wants to play the license plate game?” During the trip to
nowhere exciting, the Browning’s meets a variety of characters all played by
Ryan Childers and Jenny Cross.
The other part of the play is about the adult Don taking his
father’s ashes to spread them around his mother’s home.
Over all, “Leaving Iowa” is a very funny and entertaining
romp, but unfortunately it pales in comparison to Taproot’s others works. The minimal
stage looks very minimal compared to Taproot’s last production, “Freud’s Last
Session” which was an incredible imagination of what the Dr. Freud’s home must
have looked like. In contrast, “Iowa’s” stage is empty and the back wall painted
to look like an old postcard. Clever idea, but just not finished the way you’d
expect a Taproot stage to look.
The script itself is very entertaining, but the authors tend
to repeat the same lines over and over again which doesn’t get the response from
the audience that they were looking for. For instance, when the adult Sis says
the line, “If Don is late for dinner, I am going to kill him” the first time,
it’s funny. When she says it a second time, it’s humorous. When she says it for
the 15th time, it is just plain annoying.
Finally, the play has a few continuity problems as well. For
instance, in some scenes where Don is driving with the ashes, his father sits
in the back seat resembling a presence. Other scenes, his father isn’t there. Another
is when the characters stand up while in the car. It make sense when the kids
in the back do it, but when the parents up front do, it just looks wrong.
With all that said, “Leaving Iowa” is saved by its’ talented
cast with their excellent timing of the lines and facial expressions. It is
always a pleasure to see the Taproot stage graced with the presence of Gallaher
and Morris. Their character’s portrayals are always authentic and this one is
no exception. If you didn’t know better, you’d think that they are a real married
couple outside of the play. Lindsay is very good as Don and special kudos go to
Harvester’s first performance with Taproot. She plays the bratty younger
perfectly, however, when she portrays the “adult” Sis, her character doesn’t
seem like she has grown up much. Cross and Childers almost steal the show with
their variety of hilarious characters.
