It certainly is not easy to pull off a really scary play, the kind of unsettling performance that stays with you long after you leave the theater. Maybe you can't decide whether you loved it or hated it, probably because you're not totally comfortable with the new way it made you think about something -- war, hats, anything. It might leave you a little confused; you might even have a nightmare about it.
This term's Mainstage production, Caryl Churchill's "Far Away," debuted on Thursday, Nov. 7, and will be playing through this week. Although the original choice for the mainstage was "The Negro of Peter the Great," the Pushkin play posed too many casting obstacles, as explored in a previous article in The Dartmouth. Director Peter Hackett '75 and guest designer Pavel Dobrusky previously worked together on "Far Away" at the Cleveland Play House, and their past experience may partly explain the overwhelming success of this last-minute switch.
"Far Away" is a scary play. But it's the best kind of scary play -- haunting, well acted and all the more compelling for how realistic it is. I will include one disclaimer: If you're someone who needs to know exactly what's going on in a play at all times, you will probably find this one frustrating and unsatisfying. In "Far Away," the who, what and why details matter much less than what's implied and unexplained, and the play is far more enjoyable once you accept that it raises more questions than answers. "Far Away" tells us everything we need to know to understand that something is very wrong in the futuristic world Churchill creates. Deception and violence are everywhere, no one can be trusted and the world seems on the brink of total destruction. We're left to wonder, though, just how things have gotten to this point.
"Far Away" features two different casts who have developed their roles separately, never rehearsing together. From the characters' costumes to the way they relate to each other to the actual staging of certain scenes, the play changes quite a bit depending on which actors are performing. Each cast brings a different dynamic to "Far Away," though Churchill's vision remains the same.
The play's first scene finds a young girl, Joan (Stacie Payne '09 or Jessica Bloodsaw '09), spending a restless first night visiting her aunt and uncle. Through an interaction with her aunt Harper (Meghan Wendland '08 or Katie Farley '09) that starts off innocently, Joan reveals her knowledge of a terrible secret about what's really going on in their home. Payne and Wendland, who performed at the show I attended on Friday, are excellent, exchanging rapid-fire dialogue and playing up each long, silent moment as Joan tries to understand what she has discovered and Harper tries to cover up the awful truth.
Next we see an older Joan (Nicola Korzenko '07 or Bloodsaw) starting a job in a bizarre hat factory. She works alongside a young man, Todd (Sam Gilroy '09 or Matthew Cohn '08), who warns her about the corruption he's become aware of over his years there. Korzenko's Joan is alternately feisty and naive; similarly, Gilroy's Todd balances a cocky older-and-wiser attitude with quiet vulnerability.
The relationship between Todd and Joan -- beginning with his awkward attempts at flirting and her shy awareness of his interest -- is the heart and soul of "Far Away." We want to believe these flawed but endearing characters are just like people we know, even as they construct elaborate hats to be worn for a mysterious "parade" and talk cryptically about the shady goings-on at the factory. As the future world spins out of control, Joan and Todd still convince us that most aspects of being human remain the same, thanks to strong performances by Korzenko and Gilroy.
"Far Away" is packed with silences that say more than dialogue, and composer Larry Delinger's deceptively lighthearted score punctuates the scenes powerfully. Set to an eerie soundtrack that almost seems reminiscent of a child's music box, the play's action -- particularly the gruesome parade sequence -- becomes even more disturbing.
Intense as its subject matter may be, "Far Away" is not without its humorous moments, and they aren't limited to the first tentative interactions between Todd and Joan. The play's bleak, wrenching final scene mocks itself with dialogue between Todd and Harper that points out the extremity -- and the absurdity -- of its premise. The ending, though guaranteed to leave you wanting more, is poignant and beautifully staged, a stirring finish to this grim morality tale.
The play's title perfectly reflects what is likely the most common response to seeing it. We want to believe this is a completely fantastical made-up story, nothing that would happen in our lifetimes, at least. At the same time, we have to ask ourselves how far our society really is from this kind of dystopia. Outstanding direction and great performances make "Far Away" well worth your time. See it even if you think you only like happy endings.
"Far Away" will be playing at the Moore Theater tonight and tomorrow night at 8 p.m. and Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Hopkins Center Box Office for $3 for Dartmouth students, $6 for all other students and $12 for general admission.
