Sunday, March 17, 2002
The play explores American culture through the eyes of aliens.
By GARRY L. CLARK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CHAMPION -- Kent State University Trumbull Theatre presented its opening performance of "Tales of the Lost Formicans" on Friday night, and let me tell you at the outset: This is one bizarre play.
Not that it doesn't have a message. It does. It's just a very odd piece of work with a distinctly avant-garde feel.
This "seriocomedy" as it is billed, portrays American culture as seen and interpreted by aliens. One family, the McKissicks, are the subjects begin studied, and they represent an amalgamation (I hope) of many American families. There's the recently divorced daughter who is moving back to her parents home with her very rebellious teen-age son and her parents, a mother who is trying to hold things together and a father who is, though the word is never spoken, suffering through rapidly advancing stages of Alzheimer's disease.
The play is both realistic and oddly out of joint with heart-rending scenes of the family's suffering coupled with comic scenes of how the aliens are interpreting their actions as well as their suppositions on what common objects we use are.
Cast: Kym L. Ford did a fine job as the daughter, Cathy, and Paul Kotopka was very good as her son, Eric. Michelle R. Savory was in good form as Cathy's best childhood friend, Judy, and Shannon Smith did exceptionally well as the strange neighbor, Jerry. Donnagene Palmer portrayed the mother, Evelyn, very well. Her moments of exasperation were right on target.
Also playing excellently was Mike Pilch as Actor, a type of alien narrator, if you will, and Jack Locke played a B movie-type alien as well as Jack, a bit part.
The most outstanding performance, however, was delivered by Raymond E. Hughes as Jim, the father who is steadily losing his hold on reality. His moments of lucidity were well-played, but his transformation as his confusion increased was truly tremendous.
Daniel-Raymond Nadon serves as the director of this production. Set changes were accomplished for the most part by a group of tittering aliens, which added to the play's story as well as its strangeness.
A special warning, however: This play is liberally peppered with filthy language as well as some very adult innuendo and is definitely unsuitable for children.