Keep open mind for ‘Learned to Drive’

By STEPHANIE OTTEY

A new theater season at Youngstown State University started Thursday night with a production of the controversial “How I Learned to Drive” by Paula Vogel.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play was produced entirely by students in association with Blackbox Productions and Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theater Honorary Society YSU chapter. Blackbox Productions are known for pushing the envelope and experimenting with scripts, scenery and acting technique, and “How I Learned to Drive” continued with the tradition.

“How I Learned to Drive” introduces us to ‘Lil Bit,’ a young girl growing up in the 1960s. Through a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards (few scenes are actually in chronological order) we meet her dysfunctional family, all nicknamed after genitalia, and come to learn that she’s having an extra-special relationship with her uncle, nicknamed “Peck.”

With no father in her life, Lil Bit is drawn to Uncle Peck and the doting attention he gives her, and for a reason not revealed to the audience, Uncle Peck is attracted to her as well. It is clear that what they are doing is wrong; Uncle Peck is a married man, and Lil Bit is not even a teenager when he makes his first advance on her, but there is a genuine love between the two that leaves a veil of confusion over the entire show.

Director Jennifer Tomerlin made a bold choice in “How I Learned to Drive,” and admitted in the post-show symposium that she carried some preconceived notions about the horrors of pedophilia when she was introduced to this script.

However, after reading this story over a few times, she began to see a different side of the relationship. Tomerlin’s decision to show the relationship as a romance, not as something dirty and grotesque is brave and seemingly unethical, but by the end of the show it is very hard to determine who exactly the villain is and who to blame for the unnatural pairing. Through an “interpret as you want” script and many unanswered questions, Tomerlin has offered a show that is disturbing, charming and thought-provoking at the same time.

To aid in the story-telling, Tomerlin cast Katy Mestichelli (Lil Bit) and Ryan Bisset (Uncle Peck) as the protagonists, or antagonists depending on how you look at it. Both actors portray complex characters in a simple and honest way that help to make the audience feel that the relationship isn’t as terrible as it seems.

Bisset conveys the sincerity of Uncle Peck just enough to keep him from appearing scandalous, and Mestichelli is flirtatious enough to keep her from appearing 100 percent innocent. These two performances are what maintain the never-ending uncertainties.

Montaja Simmons, Bobby Brooks and Juleah Buttermore complete the cast with each actor embodying many roles.

Buttermore is a constant source of comic relief, particularly as she advises her granddaughter Lil Bit on her encounters with husband “Big Poppa.” Brooks, as Big Poppa, has the opportunity to gain laughs as well, but because of a misguided southern dialect and poor diction, most of his dialogue is too difficult to understand and therefore falls flat.

The set designed by Randall Brammer was simple and nondescript, decorated with road signs that provided inspiration for Tina Janis’ lighting design.

Michelle Murray designed the sound cues for the show, but unfortunately opted out of playing anything during the blackouts. This faux-pas made scene changes uncomfortably long and aided in hindering the pace of the production at times.

Simple errors are what Blackbox productions are for, however, and shouldn’t be considered fatal.

With that in mind, this production is very successful in looking outside the box. It may be offensive and confounded to some, but others may find it eye-opening and refreshing.

Audiences simply need to remember that “How I Learned to Drive” is experimental and should be viewed with an open mind.