by Jess Hoffman
Eugene O’Neill is a love-him-or-hate-him sort of playwright. I have spoken to many local thespians who hate Eugene O’Neill, with his propensity toward long, verbose, depressing, and overly philosophical plays about the everyday lives of the downtrodden. I personally love Eugene O’Neill for his mastery of the English Language and his ability to make the most mundane situations feel intensely significant. I was therefore excited to see A Moon for the Misbegotten at Schenectady Civic Players. This particular production is a mixed bag: where it fails it fails beyond repair, but where it shines it shines like the full moon in the night sky that so inspired Eugene O’Neill.
The play opens on a lovely set depicting the exterior of a farmhouse, designed and constructed by David Zwierankin. A stylized hole in the front wall reveals a porch area on the other side of the farmhouse’s screen door. It’s a strange aesthetic, but it works somehow. Much as this play is a slightly voyeuristic window into the everyday lives of the Hogan family and their acquaintances; and the cutout of the front wall provides a slightly voyeuristic glimpse into the indoor space of what is otherwise an outdoor set.
From the moment Jennifer Van Iderstyne, the play’s leading lady, steps onto the set, she commands the stage. As the tough and crude farmgirl Josie Hogan, Van Iderstyne is brashly funny and inexplicably likable even when she’s giving her brother or her father a thorough tongue-lashing. (For my part, I found her especially likable in these scenes.) But as the play goes on, we also see Josie be at times teasingly flirtatious and at times deeply vulnerable. Jennifer Van Iderstyne plays all these layered emotions impeccably. Her costumes, designed by Rachel Stewart, are understatedly pretty but simple, fitting her character while giving her the look of softer romantic lead. Van Iderstyne’s most captivating scenes are those with Patrick White, who plays the Hogans’ landlord and Josie’s love interest, Jamie Tyrone. White is also a joy to watch and his chemistry with Van Iderstyne is riveting.
Despite the exceptional talent on display from Van Iderstyne and White, their talent couldn’t quite carry the scenes with Michael O’Farrell, who plays Josie’s father Phil Hogan. O’Farrell takes to the stage with script in hand and hardly moves or emotes as he reads from the script. It slows the pace of what is already a long and somewhat meandering plot and makes it hard for the audience to get properly immersed in O’Neill’s poetic banter. I can certainly appreciate that community theater is a volunteer endeavor and that complications arise which occasionally require an actor to play a role on-book. But I cannot forgive such an overreliance on the script that it renders an actor unable to, you know, act. O’Farrell’s disappointing performance distracts from what had the potential to be an outstanding production.
As it is, Schenectady Civic’s production of A Moon for the Misbegotten is far from perfect, but the spectacular chemistry between two of its leads redeems it somewhat. This production made me hopeful that I may get to see more Eugene O’Neill produced by local community theaters, despite his many naysayers. Perhaps in years to come I will finally get the local production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night that I have long been clamoring for!
Schenectady Civic Players presents A Moon for the Misbegotten, directed by Evan Jones, runs from November 15-24, 2024, at the Schenectady Civic Playhouse, 12 South Church Street in Schenectady, NY. Produced by Jean Carney. Stage Manager: Amanda Lupe. Assistant Stage Manager: Beth Swallow. Light board operator: Beth Swallow. Sound board operator: Barry Streifert. Cast: Jennifer Van Iderstyne as Josie Hogan, Joe Plock as Mike Hogan, Michael O’Farrell as Phil Hogan, Patrick White as Jamie Tyrone, and Marty O’Connor as T. Steadman Harder. Set design & construction by David Zwierankin. Lighting design by David Caso. Sound design by Brian Starnes. Costumes by Rachel Stewart. Properties by Beth Swallow and Amanda Lupe.
Performance dates are Friday–Sunday (November 15-17) and Wednesday–Sunday (November 20-24). Friday and Saturday curtains are at 8 pm, Wednesday and Thursday curtains are at 7:30 pm, and Sundays are matinees only at 2:30 pm. All tickets are $25. Runs approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes with one intermission. Contains discussions of alcoholism and sex. Recommended for ages 14+. Tickets are available online, by phone, or at the door for any performance. Call 518-382-2081 or visit civicplayers.org for more information.