Berkshire on Stage

As a theater critic I am aware that an entire audience watching the same show can result in an audience-size number of opinions. What a clever idea Mark St. Germain put into action writing Forgiveness, performed at Barrington Stage Company. 

Reading about the Board of Pardons, a board that determines whether criminals who have served their time and have been released are deserving of having their records wiped clean, St. Germain uses actual court transcripts to portray four people pleading for clemency. A pardon, usually issued  at least five years after prison release, enables ex-convicts better chances at voting, employment, housing, and travel. The four actors: Joey Collins, Rodney Hicks, Darlene Hope, and Peggy Pharr Wilson alternately play reformed felons, their supporters, a victim, and board members. 

The audience members each have a laminated card on their seats which says Pardon on one side and Deny on the other. After each applicant presents his/her case for a timed ten minutes, the Board members ask questions and often bring up other offenses which the applicant must explain. We are reminded that the Board is not a jury determining guilt or innocence. As the audience, we are asked whether we vote to pardon or deny the offender’s plea. The Board reports the actual decision that was made and the audience’s decision.

St. Germain chooses four compelling cases and Director, Ron Lagomarsino picks four outstanding, experienced actors who flawlessly switch roles and characters when playing applicants, supporters and board members.

The stage features a simple set of armed desk chairs in a semi-circle on a slightly raised platform facing another raised platform for the applicants to speak. Designed by Brian Prather, the set remains the same throughout the play, allowing no distractions.

Wilson plays Elizabeth James who served four years in prison for first-degree arson. She offers an anxious recounting of her offense, the poor choices she made, her troubling family history and how she has changed. It is difficult not to feel for her. The Board consistently asks each applicant if amends have been made to the victim. They question what has improved in her life which would prevent her from committing the same crime again in her future.

When the audience votes, we easily see how hearing the same story can evoke different feelings, enabling us to better understand how a jury works, or more broadly, the bipartisan nature of our country, especially during this political season.

As Board members deliberate, quotes about forgiveness are reflected on the wall with clear messages to the audience:

“Chimps are very quick to have a sudden fight… but they’re equally good at reconciliation.” –Jane Goodall

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is for the strong.” -Ghandi

Other quotes address the need for conscience, guilt, and revenge.

Hicks plays Donnie Blazer, a man convicted of second-degree assault. We see his temper; we hear about his self-defense; we hear what went wrong in his trial. He brings along his partner (Darlene Hope) of 19 years and hear her extol his parenting of her children and her desire for him to travel with them.

Collins plays Martin Johnson, a musician accused of third-degree sexual assault of a female teenager in his youth orchestra. He is pleading for termination of his lifetime supervision, while continuing to register as a sex offender. Released over ten years ago, supervision has significantly impacted his career and his ability to travel. He too explains his painful history and the broken man he was. He describes the positive changes he has made and brings a priest (Hicks) to testify to his belief in him and how God has entered Johnson’s life. Johnson must discuss how being around young females will no longer tempt him to reoffend. Sexual abuse of a minor is a hot button issue sure to trigger the audience.

Finally, Hope portrays Florence Pullman, who served time for second-degree intentional murder. The most serious crime is saved for last. Hope demonstrates Pullman’s believable shame and remorse. While defending her son against a threatening debt collector, she shot and killed the man next to the assailant. Since her incarceration she has gotten two degrees and started an organization to help others who need a fresh start after imprisonment. She brings a fellow volunteer, Patrick McShane (Collins) to describe her passion and deep empathy in her work. But a victim, the deceased’s daughter Joyce DeWitt (Wilson) comes forward to share her anger and pain losing her father. As the Board member states, “I would like to note that oftentimes two things can be true at the same time. You can have rehabilitation and you can have a family that’s in anguish.” Pullman is given a chance to respond to the victim. The audience’s response to her was the most unified of the evening.

All actors are dressed by Costume Designer, Dina El-Azis in clothing appropriate for a court appearance. With the simple change of a jacket, addition of a hat or scarf, performers change their vocal quality and easily change characters.

Lighting designer, Reza Behjat, brings up houselights as the audience vote is taken.

Though the running time of this play is a little over an hour, our thoughts about these applicants last much longer. Unsurprisingly, the actual decisions about pardons were split on racial lines. Not so for the audience vote.

St. Germain and Randy Courts write the lyrics and music to “Forgiveness,” a sweet tune the cast sings to end the performance. We know the stories of these released felons are not over. Come and decide for yourself.

“Forgiveness” by Mark St. Germain, directed by Ron Lagomarsino, runs from July 30-August 29, 2024, presented by Barrington Stage Company on the St. Germain Stage in the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street in Pittsfield, MA. CAST: Joey Collins, Rodney Hicks, Darlene Hope, and Peggy Pharr Wilson. Scenic Design by Brian Prather, Costume Design by Dina El-Azis, Lighting Design by Reza Behjat, Sound Design by Brendan Aanes, Music by Randy Courts,
Production Stage Manager Leslie Sears. Casting by McCorkle Casting Ltd. https://barringtonstageco.org/