SAMANTHA BLONS
Assistant A&E Editor
It is not often that the term “playboy” graces the cover of a playbill at Pepperdine. But this semester brings an exception with Tuesday’s opening of the spring play, “The Playboy of the Western World.”
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the original show’s opening in Dublin, Ireland, in January 1907, the Pepperdine theater department brought together an enthusiastic, young cast with professional theater veterans to present a faithful version of the classic Irish satire.
The cast will perform every evening in the Lindhurst Theatre Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
Set in rural turn-of-the-century Ireland, the majority of the action in “The Playboy of the Western World” occurs in the town pub.
When a stranger named Christy Mahon, played by senior Brooks Asher, arrives in town and tells the pub patrons he has killed his father, the townspeople welcome him and listen intently to the stories of his exploits. Christy attracts the attention of the local young women, including the pub owner’s engaged daughter, Pegeen, played by freshman Taylor Kruse.
However, when Christy’s story proves false, the townspeople must reevaluate their opinions of their guest.
“The Playboy of the Western World” debuted on Jan. 26th, 1907, in Dublin, Ireland, where riots and protests erupted following the initial performance. Angry audience members accused Irish playwright John Millington Synge of portraying the rural Irish as simpletons and drunkards and of planting anti-Catholic themes in the script. When the play opened in the Unites States four years later, Irish-Americans protested on the same grounds.
Today, however, it is now one of the most famous plays in Irish literature, regarded by theater critics as a “classic,” according to the director of Pepperdine’s version, George Neilson.
Although the theater department began planning to bring the show to Pepperdine about five years ago, it was not scheduled until this month, in honor of the play’s 100-year anniversary. The Pepperdine rendition of the brazen comedy will debut just four days after the original opening date.
“We’re expecting to see some ghosts from the first production,” Neilson said.
Pepperdine theatergoers will see a performance much like the first production, according to Neilson, because the theater department chose to remain faithful to the original script, including dialect and Irish words with which modern audiences will be unfamiliar. A glossary will be included in the program from which viewers can translate Irish terms.
“Learning the Irish accent has been really fun,” said sophomore Derek Hockenbrough, who plays Old Mahon. “However, trying to translate the dialect so the audience will understand it has probably been the biggest challenge for me.”
Laura Di Tirro McMillin, an adjunct faculty member and professional dialect coach, has been working with individual cast members throughout the rehearsal process to perfect their Irish accents.
“I think the biggest challenge in a show like this is the large cast, because each student comes to the table with a different linguistic background,” she said. “My challenge is to get them all to the same level.”
McMillin, who teaches a course on dialects, has worked professionally with actors in film and television, including Marco Leonardi in the 2001 film, “Texas Rangers.”
“I love doing plays where there are dialect differences, especially since we had a great dialect coach,” Asher said. He is experienced in Pepperdine theater, having appeared in 14 shows on campus. Most recently, he was seen as baseball player Henry in the fall musical, “Damn Yankees.”
The part of Christy has been one of his best yet, Asher said.
“The development of the character throughout the script has been more drastic than the other parts I’ve done,” Asher said.
A relative newcomer to the Pepperdine stage, Kruse plays Christy’s love interest in the show, Pegeen.
“It’s been really neat to just come to Pepperdine and be included in everything, to jump right in,” Kruse said. “It’s been such a huge privilege.” Kruse was first seen in Pepperdine theater in the fall 2006 play, “As It is in Heaven,” in which she played Fanny, a character who had visions.
To choreograph the Irish dancing scenes in the production, Neilson brought in Cate Catlin, a professional choreographer and world championship dancer in the Adagio style of stage dance.
The Lindhurst Theatre, home of Pepperdine’s October and January plays, is a “black box” theater, a large square room with black walls and a flat floor. It serves as a classroom throughout the year.
“The Lindhurst is a more intimate space, and productions there tend to be on a more intimate scale,” Neilson said.
However, performing in the Lindhurst presents challenges not seen in the larger productions in Smothers, he added. All classes that meet in the Lindhurst must be relocated for several weeks to accommodate both the October and January shows.
“The Lindhurst is just a big rehearsal space, and twice a year we make a theater out of it,” Neilson said. “Every time we do a show in there, we have to create a theatre: seating, lights, sound, everything. It’s a major undertaking.”
Tickets cost $10 for Pepperdine students and $12 for faculty and staff. General admission costs $15. The Lindhurst Theatre is located in the Ahmanson Fine Arts Center, adjacent to the Cultural Arts Center.
For more information, call the box office at Ext. 4522.
01-25-2007