Hedgerow Theatre Presents Kafka in the Hederows

Hedgerow Theatre
Kafka in the Hedgerows
Opened May 1
Seen May 1
Reviewer Nicholas Martorelli
Submitted May 3

Hedgerow Theatre is celebrating its 85th birthday this year with the world premiere of “Kafka in the Hedgerows,” a new play by Nagle Jackson. To celebrate this anniversary, Jackson’s new play is a fictionalized re-imagining of Jasper Deeter’s founding of Hedgerow Theatre. Charming and absorbing, the play is essentially Hedgerow’s love letter to itself, the country’s oldest repertory theatre. Along the way, the script reflects on what it takes to “make art” and what the true purpose of the theatre is, but all reflections or challenges to that particular art form are ultimately resolved under a banner of delightful sentimentality.

The play begins when Manfred Wolf (Paul Kuhn) and Rusty Hargrove (Zoran Kovcic) enter from the back of the house, making their way onto the dimly-lit stage. Wolf, a watered-down version of Jasper Deeter, declares his intention to turn the building into a professional repertory theatre, and he then begins to meet the citizens of the town. In the middle of his auditions for the upcoming shows, a mysterious stranger “of indeterminate origin” (Jared Reed) arrives and introduces himself as K. A not-so-thinly disguised version of Franz Kafka, K’s opinions and beliefs on theatre and art intrigue Wolf, and they start to collaborate on a show. The second act of “Kafka in the Hedgerows” revolves around a rehearsal for the proposed play, in which ideas of theatre, art, and life are revealed and hotly debated.

From the first image of the two men walking down the dark stairs into the theatre, the show is charming. Natural performances and very honest witticisms pepper the first act, in which both the audience and Wolf meet the local Gilbert and Sullivan-loving prima donna, Tatty Christian (Susan Wefel), and the Greek drama-loving, aspiring actress/playwright Andromache Hobbs (Penelope Reed.) Political maneuvering and artistic negotiations between Wolf and his growing ensemble of artists are rendered with both wit and clarity, and the genuine warmth and personality of the performers is allowed to shine. Particular Act I highlights are Jared Reed’s funny and very warm entrance as the mysterious K, and Kovcic’s bumbling and loveable handyman.

The second act, however, is not quite as strong as the first. During a rehearsal for the “play within a play” being performed by the new company, the characters all confront each other with their own particular ideas of what theatre should be and what it should do. But amidst all these high ideals, the second act verges on the edge of farce. The believably honest characters of the first half are forced into behaving more as archetypes in the second. When K’s desire to “make art” conflicts with the others’ desires to merely “do art,” the show strains to say something that is unfortunately outside of its own range. The lightly tuned play cannot deal with its own weight in the second act, and the high ideals about art never resolve into a clear point of view. The most effective moments of the second act are the subtle and quiet ones. One such scene features K leading the two young lovers (Lena Mucchetti and Kevin Meehan) in rehearsal, in which he challenges them to explore the truth behind their art. The two lovers, products of Hedgerow’s Theatre Fellow training program, shine in the moment of awkward exploration of an honest theatrical experience. The moment exists as the proverbial onstage soap bubble, where the audience holds their collective breath lest the illusion be broken, as it ultimately must be.

The performers, most of them pillars of the Hedgerow stage, deliver consistent and fully realized performances. Effective moments are carefully created in the first act where we see each character coming into conflict with others and then finding honest ways to resolve those conflicts. A scene between Jared Reed and Susan Wefel artfully illustrates this resolution, as K uses Tatty’s obvious ego to sway her over to his point of view. Penelope Reed’s Andromache taps into grand traditions of theatre past, while in the first act revealing a sense of the vulnerability of the artist. Jared Reed creates a shy and child-like K, a man who is constantly amazed by the world around him. The actors work well together and the onstage chemistry is contagious; it feels as if we are actually watching a rehearsal for such an ensemble-based company as Hedgerow itself is.

Kovcic also designed the minimalist set, which heavily features the basic Hedgerow construction – brick back wall, benches, chairs, and tables. The costumes by Cathie Miglionico evoke both the time period and the individual characters very well. David O’Connor’s lights and Bill Whipple’s sounds interweave through the show, always present and effective without calling attention to themselves.

“Kafka in the Hedgerows” is essentially Hedgerow Theatre’s love letter to itself, romanticizing its origin with witty banter and theatre jokes. And for a theatre that has lasted for so long and trained so many theatre artists, a little self-congratulation, especially in so pleasant a form, is surely in order.

Nicholas Martorelli

“Kafka in the Hedgerows,” written and directed by Nagle Jackson. Stars Paul Kuhn, Zoran Kovcic, Susan Wefel, Lena Mucchetti, Kevin Meehan, Penelope Reed, Jared Reed, and Michelle Eugene. Runs until May 18 at various times, with tickets $10-$30. For show and ticket information, call the box office at (610) 565-4211, or visit the theatre online at www.hedgerowtheatre.org.