Although Talbott's laudable acting chops are old news to those hip to the Amherst theater scene-as well as to aficionados of Mr. Gad's House of Improv-with "Half-way 'Round the Circle," she ventures into uncharted waters, displaying not only her skills as an actor, but her writing, which had until last weekend remained untested in the court of public opinion.
"Half-way 'Round the Circle" tells the story of Robin (Talbott), a young woman with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), following her from youth into her 40s. In short, one- or two-person scenes, the play explores the many ways in which Robin's mental illness affects not only her, but also others in her life: mainly, her father, but also her sister, her psychiatrists and those she meets during her many stays in mental institutions.
From a playwriting perspective, "Half-way 'Round the Circle" is a daring feat. The play jumps around in time, and the protagonist, Robin, appears in the play at several different stages of life. Such temporal shifts require that the playwright have an absolute understanding of her characters as they change over time. Talbott's empathy and personal connection to her characters, particularly to Robin and her father, is immediately evident from seeing the play. Had that connection not been there, the characters would not have played as strongly or resonated as deeply as they did. By contrasting Robin's understanding with her father's, the play as a whole takes a highly ambiguous point of view.
One might criticize Talbott for refusing to take a stronger political stance, but given the many shades of gray in the politics of mental illness, this ambiguity is perhaps more emotionally and intellectually sensible. Neither pandering nor preaching, "Half-way 'Round the Circle" is not an "issue play." Though dealing thematically with the "issue" of mental illness, the play is not about "Robin the BPD patient," but Robin the human being, who happens to also have BPD. It is quite remarkable that Talbott has managed to tackle such an emotional subject with a relatively unbiased eye, whereas many older and more experienced playwrights have failed at similar endeavors.
To be sure, the play is not perfect-at times it lacks subtlety, and some might object to the short-scene structure-but overall, its strengths vastly outweigh its problems.
Alongside the obvious emotional challenges presented by its subject, the play presents a number of technical challenges, the solutions in production prove as interesting as the play itself. A mere two actors-Talbott and Brian Lewis '08-took on the play's multitude of roles. While such a casting scheme can be problematic, these two talented thespians answered the call courageously, each delivering a tour de force performance despite the immense difficulty of juggling multiple characters. Talbott, bringing pathos, dignity and truth to her troubled protagonist, easily justified her reputation as one of Amherst's most talented actors. Meanwhile, Lewis gave a remarkable performance, imbuing the play's male characters with truth, specificity and emotional resonance-no easy task, given such challenges as playing Robin's lover and her father in consecutive scenes! There was no forced chemistry here-the actors interacted as naturally as bread and butter, and every moment of intimacy or discord played with untarnished sincerity.
The play's structure is also challenging in terms of its production, calling for many short scenes in a variety of locales, with quick costume and set changes between each scene. Given the limitations of the Holden Theater, these changes presented major challenges to the set designer and director. Once again, the problem was solved cleverly and creatively. Rather than attempting a representational set, Lobdell-who designed the set as well as directed the play-placed the action in a small, square room painted white, with two abstract pieces of furniture that were also painted white; the omnipresent white, reminiscent of a hospital, established a metaphorical relationship between the set and Robin's inner world. The furniture was mobile, and represented different objects in different scenes. The abstract minimalism of the set made set changes relatively speedy. Sophomore Diane Exavier's costume design was also conceived with an eye for quick changes. Ambiguities of place and time were clarified very simply with supertitles-one of the production's many Brechtian devices. The overt theatricality and detachment created by the supertitles, the abstract set, on-stage costume changes and the actors' participation in scene changes offset the actors' naturalistic style without detracting from their emotional force. The choice to combine the acting technique of psychological realism with a more overtly theatrical production scheme was very effective, creating a world that the audience was able to relate to on both an emotional and an intellectual level.
Despite many challenges, the premiere of "Half-way 'Round the Circle" was in every way a success. Talbott's talent as a writer and actor was apparent throughout, as was the tremendous labor of love that went into its conception and production. Indeed, Amherst-especially those of us in the theater department-will sorely miss Honora Talbott, but we also expect great things from her in the future.
The senior projects of Emma Jaster '07 and Emily Rosenberg '07, "Ceci N'est Pas La Lune" ("This Is Not the Moon") and "Fiber," respectively, round out the College's theater season. These novel productions will be performed Thursday through Saturday, April 12-14, at 8 p.m. in Holden Theater.