Berkshire on Stage

I have been enamored with playwright Tracy Letts ever since I read his Pultzer winner, August:
Osage County for a high school theater class. But I have been less impressed by some of his
other plays, and I was not familiar with The Minutes before seeing Albany Civic Theater’s
production. So I went into Albany Civic’s production with high hopes, but little idea of what I
could expect.

The Minutes is essentially a play about American politics and American history. It takes place
entirely over the course of a city council meeting for a fictional Midwestern city called Big
Cherry. (Really, Big Cherry could be a stand in for any small to medium sized city in the United
States, but their discussion of Sioux heritage suggests that the city is in the Great Plains
region.) The councilmen discuss a handicapped accessible fountain, revenue, an upcoming city
heritage festival, and parking spaces. Pointedly not being discussed are the minutes from the
previous week’s meeting and the absence of one of the other councilmembers. The reason for
the missing minutes and councilmember loom over an otherwise farcical beginning and are
revealed in a very dramatic ending.

The set and the costumes are spectacularly boring, so much so that they become compelling
again somehow. The set is all right angles in neutral grays and browns, exactly like any modern,
nondescript city building. It is sparsely decorated with a few dusty old books and a random
picture of Abraham Lincoln (despite it being discussed by the council members that Abraham
Lincoln has no connection with Big Cherry). The council members’ attire is a combination of
boring but stylish business casual outfits and some very dorky sweater, khaki, and tie combos.
Although the play never depicts Big Cherry outside of the city council meeting, it says something
about the town that its mayor shows up to city council meetings in a green quarter-zip sweatshirt
with a bright orange tie underneath.

Albany Civic Theater’s production of The Minutes has a truly excellent cast. In the whole
ensemble there is no weak link. Every actor, even those with relatively few lines, gets their
individual moments to shine. But the standouts in the cast are undoubtedly Gary Hoffmann and
Ryan Palmer. Hoffmann plays the old and easily confused elder councilmember Oldfield with
hilarious geezer antics and impeccable comedic timing. And Ryan Palmer’s passion and
agitation over his pet project (as well as his indignation over another councilman’s idea for a
“Lincoln Smackdown”) is the funniest part of this very humorous play.

I must say, The Minutes is one of the funniest plays I have seen in a long time. Or at least, it is
for the beginning of the play. All of the awkward banter, the humorous mispronunciations of
common words (followed by the protagonist patiently offering “I don’t think you’re saying that
right”), the funny one liners, the silly arguments between egotistical small-time politicians, and a
side-splitting bit with a laser pointer, all culminate in a very dramatic and serious ending.

Perhaps it is unfair to compare The Minutes to Lett’s earlier play August: Osage County, but the
latter proves that Letts is more than capable of bringing humor into dramatic situations and
adding an element of absurdity to life’s brutality. In The Minutes, however, when the events of
the previous meeting are revealed and the characters are forced to look at their city’s ugly
history, all the humor and lightness and even the undertones of absurdity are dispensed with.

Perhaps this is by design, but it does make it feel almost as though I watched two different
plays: one humorous and farcical and one dramatic and provocative, rather than a single show
that blended humor and poignancy in a way that marks the most potent works of satire. The
overarching idea that “democracy’s messy,” seems like it would lend itself to such a satire, but
Letts takes The Minutes in a very different direction. In the very last scene, the play’s whole
premise is momentarily dispensed with and the otherwise keenly realistic play ends with a
moment of high-concept symbolism that does not suit the rest of the play.

Nevertheless, The Minutes succeeds in being both entertaining and reflective, both hilarious
and thought-provoking. My feelings on the script are mixed, but it is handled expertly by director
Brian Sheldon and by an outstanding cast and brilliant crew. The Minutes at Albany Civic is well
worth your time!

Albany Civic Theater presents The Minutes by Tracy Letts, directed by Brian Sheldon, runs from
February 16-March 3, at Albany Civic Theater, 235 Second Avenue in Albany, NY. Stage
Manager: Regina Baker. Light Board Operator: Kassidi Jarvis. Sound Board Operator: Quinn
Solace. Cast: Alexandra Doggette as Johnson, Bill Douglas as Carp, Chris Foster as Superba,
Gary Hoffmann as Oldfield, Samantha Miorin as Matz, Aaron Moore as Blake, Shawn Morgan
as Breeding, Dianne O’Neill as Innes, Kevin O’Toole as Peel, Ryan Palmer as Hanratty, and
Patrick White as Assalone. Costume design by Jen Bart. Hair & Makeup by Laura Darling,
Rachel Stewart, and Jen Bart. Set design by Lisa Morgan. Set design by Adam M. Coons.
Lighting design by Kassidi Jarvis. Sound design by Barry Streifert.

Performance dates are Friday-Sunday February 16-March 3. Friday and Saturday curtains are
at 7:30 pm and Sundays are matinees only at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $18, student tickets are
available for $10. Runs approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission. Contains
discussions of war and racism. Recommended for ages 14+. Tickets are available online
through the Albany Civic Theater website, by phone, or at the door for any performance. Call
518-462-1297 or visit albanycivictheater.org for more information.