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‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ is good medicine at Salem theater
By Eric McCrea
SALEM
One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo’s nest.
An old nursery rhyme lends a line to the title of the novel turned play about an abandoned system of mental health care.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was adapted for the stage by Dale Wasserman in 1963, from the Ken Kesey book of the same name, and is most famously known for the 1975 film.
The Salem Community Theatre staged this story, which highlights the inhumane practices and abuse of power in the institutionalized psychiatric health system. The views of society toward those deemed unworthy of freedom and the treatments that were arbitrarily prescribed are also in the plot.
R.P. McMurphy, played by Chuck Kettering, weasels his way into a psychiatric ward as a way to avoid the last six months of his prison sentence.
Assuming it will be an easy ride, he’s quickly detoured by the strict and inadequately supervised Miss Ratched (Denise Sculli ) who runs McMurphy’s new residence. He antagonizes Nurse Ratched, gaining him popularity and bolstering morale, even bringing Chief Bromden, played by Dave Wolford, out of a catatonic state. But his good intentions pave an undesirable road.
Kettering commands the stage in the lead role. He entered like a storm and left no one unscathed. With this talent-heavy cast, he was a natural.
Sculli was cold as ice as the infamous Nurse Ratched. She represented unchallenged power and the extremes that it can manifest. She calmly faced down rebellion, knowing she could ultimately take down anyone who tried to rearrange her routine.
In a lot of ways, this is a story about Chief Bromden.
He’s the narrator; he’s the patient who has been in the ward the longest; and he is the only one who ends up better off in the end. Wolford did a remarkable job portraying this defeated spirit with a stern and foreboding demeanor. He didn’t demand spotlight with antics, but earned it with solid acting skills.
Terry Shears and Tom O’Donnell shined as Cheswick and Scanlon. The two played off each other with a casual vibe and amped up the energy of the show immensely.
Eric Kibler and Don Wolford rounded out this elite group, delivering successful performances.
Richard Smiley, Miles Assion and Michael Hill comprised a small group of “chronic” patients, emphasizing the setting with noteworthy performances, and led by the profane outbursts of Frank Martin as Ruckley.
Some hiccups in the rehearsal schedule had a minor effect on the outcome of the show. Overall, it was great, but not as incredible as it could have been if this amazing cast had just one more week. To use an out of place metaphor, it wasn’t a home run, but it was an easy triple.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” will run Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For reservations, call the Salem Community Theatre, 490 E. State St., at 330-332-9688.