JACK KEROUAC: CATHOLIC
Saturday May 2, 2009 7PM
Saval Auditorium, St.. John’s Manhattan Campus
St. John’s Saval Theatre offers the audience a clean, comfortable state of the art
space for enjoying theatre. But, how much theatre can one person enjoy at one sitting? The night of poetry, projected images, recorded jazz and interactive monologues was like a beatnik tenement party that wouldn’t stop. The audience needed a handful of bennies to keep up.
Combining Kerouac inspired poetry and theatrical monologues in one time frame required the audience to switch emotional gears too fast and to stay focused too long. Perhaps a separate night for poetry would solve this problem. Nevertheless, the poets , particularly Ryan Buynak, the first reader with shoulder length hair and swooped bangs, inspired me to my core with his plaintive Kerouac coded plea begging us to sing, sing, sing in the morning, sing, the devil expects silence, won’t you sing. The simplicity and music in this piece led me back to the best part of Kerouac, which was his ecstatic praise for life. Seasoned performer George Wallace’s talents would have been better showcased at the beginning of the performance grouped with the other poets instead of at the end when focus began to wane.
Kat Georges did an admirable job of managing Myers’ material. He is not a playwright for dummies. He works with deep unconscious images, dreamtime, fractured narratives and multidimensional realities. More than anything, he is a metaphysician, attempting to point us in the direction of God’s infinite creative intelligence unencumbered by logic. I would have appreciated a little more help from the director in defining the characters and how they fit together. At times
the voices of Kerouac’s various phases and friends blurred together like a fiesta punch. I needed more transitional interlude, music or narrative to guide me through the complex of material.
Georges made good use of the stage by hanging three lavender scrolls from the ceiling to the floor alluding to the heavenly inspired original copy of Kerouac’s famous, On the Road. The twelve actors grouped and re-grouped , cavorted and chanted around these banners in visually pleasing combinations. The action in the twelve pieces was almost perfect, propelling the material along without being distracting. The ensemble worked well as a team, keeping their collective focus on the actor who was speaking.
The acting in this production featured actors at different levels of development, ranging from the majestic pomp of Janice Bishop playing the Poetess to the newbee energy of Joshua Dudley playing Hunter Thompson. My pick for the actor who has what it takes to be a star is Manny Liyes, who played Drinking Jack. He has an emotional depth and authenticity that connects with everyman. I was intrigued by his expressive hands and conic fingertips telling the story of Jack’s struggle with drink. Micky Pizzo, Not Neal Cassidy, also had a charisma that commanded attention. Congratulations to Jordan Spoon who played the Hippie Hitchhiker girl. She has the optimism, spirit and a wide open heart that the world needs now.
Thank you to each of the performers and SJU playwriting students. It was obvious that great care and commitment went into preparing your work. You bring honor to St. John’s name.
To all who spent their time, energy and resources creating this free production of Jack Kerouac: Catholic, I extend my appreciation.
If Jack is looking down on us I think he would say, keep moving forward, follow your beat, keep your beat, run fast and hard and sing.
Voice of the Hamptons
Sunday Morning May 3, 2009
