'CURIOUS SAVAGE' TNT play is warm, charming

At center is a woman's interaction with asylum residents.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NILES -- Trumbull New Theatre will open the new year with a play dating from the '50s.
"Curious Savage," written by John Patrick, is warm and charming, according to director Paul Kimpel.
"It is a story about a wealthy woman, Mrs. Savage, who has hidden a fortune from her greedy stepchildren, and they decide to put her in an asylum," he said. "But it is the characters she meets there that are warm, and probably not as insane as they believe.
"Fairy May is very intelligent, but a little off in her outlook. She looks at life differently," Kimpel said. "Jeff is a concert pianist who was in World War II, and thinks his face is scarred, so he will no longer play in public. There is also a kind doctor and nurse -- in fact, everyone at the home is warm."
Center of attention
The action of the play centers around Mrs. Savage's interaction with the other residents, and then her interaction with her children. The story takes place over a period of about two weeks.
Donna Jean Palmer, who was last seen onstage at TNT in the season opener, "Over the River and Through the Woods," is playing Mrs. Savage.
"She is eccentric, but in no way out of her mind," Palmer said. "And she doesn't think [her children] have their priorities right."
Palmer said there are nine characters in the play with a nice diversity of ages and personalities. And even though she is playing the title role, she says no one is really a star and the characters have equal time onstage.
"Mrs. Savage has a little scene with each person at the home and develops a real bond with all of them, to the point that she begins to question whether she wants to leave," Palmer said. "She enjoys everyone and is not even vindictive about the stepchildren putting her there."
Kimpel designed the set, which is the common room of the group home, probably an old mansion from the turn of the century, where all the action takes place. His wife, Kadey, designed the costumes.
The Kimpels have been associated with the Youngstown Playhouse, where they did sets and costumes for about 40 years, but Paul actually started out with TNT.
"I was here when it opened in March 1957 and built the scenery for the very first play," he said. "I'm glad to be back."