Sometimes A Mediocre Notion

Last night, Gay and I ushered at Portland Center Stage's production of Sometimes A Great Notion, Aaron Posner's adaptation of the Ken Kesey novel. I have not read the book; the play did inspire me to delve into it and read some Oregonian prose. I am not sure that the book translates well into a dramatic format, but nevertheless it is my favorite show this year. Perhaps that is not saying much, given the other plays in the season.

Posner used a Greek chorus, of sorts, to serve as townspeople and other parts. Sometime their rhythmic delivery really worked and added to the story; other times it distracted. Since one of the main themes is that the Stampers rely on themselves and not on their community, like everyone else thinks is imperative to their collective survival, I thought the inclusion of the townspeople on stage was completely unnecessary. I think the adaptation would have been tighter and made more of a point of how unimportant belonging to the Wakonda community was to the Stampers if Posner had found another way to relay what the union was doing, the gossip in the town, etc.

Structural problems with the play aside, the acting was solid for the most part, with Sarah Grace WIlson, as Vivian Stamper, standing out especially. Jude Law lookalike Karl Miller overplayed his East Coast educated Leland Stamper with a strange accent and speech pattern, but still portrayed an interesting and compelling. The actors did what they could (and did it well) with the overly long adaptation. The set design was stunning, with slanted levels and beams to represent the loggers' forest.

It's an interesting piece. There is more success than flaw. I give it 3.5 Scott Coopwoods (yes, he's a member of the Greek Chorus) out of 5 Scott Coopwoods.