A Review of A Delicate Balance

ICCT - This winter has played havoc with a lot of people and a lot of events. Some of those events are obvious - school, work, vacations. Some are not so obvious, like plays. The Iowa City Community Theatre's (ICCT's) production of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance is another victim of the winter storms, both by truncating the production to one weekend, and by being the root cause of the factors that keep a very good production from being a great production.

I should put some biases out front. I love the ICCT play space. Yes, it's not much to look at from the outside; yes, when the house lights are on it's hard to forget your sitting in a modified barn. But when the house lights go down, it's one of the best and most versatile stages in the area. I also love Albee. I consider him one of the top two or three finest American playwrights. So I will concede that I was pre-disposed to like this production.

But I've discovered one thing about reviewing plays - the more I enjoy a production, the more I turn the reviewer cap off and turn the audience member cap on. The reverse is true as well - the less I enjoy a production, the more time I spent thinking about what to say about the production instead of actually getting involved in the production as an audience member. I spent a lot of time on the edge of my seat, totally engrossed in what I was seeing onstage, hanging onto the way the actors were performing the beautiful Albee language.

That's not to say the production was without flaw. There was one pretty big one, and I think it important to state it up front. It quickly became obvious that the performers didn't know all their lines - four of the five actors who appear onstage in Act One held scripts. Act Two sees the sixth member of the cast take the stage for the first time, and she too carried a script. By the time we reached Act Three, all six actors were carrying scripts.

The actual script usage varied. Some actors made extensive use of their scripts; others barely looked at it, and there was one performer I never saw look at her script. This is a problem I lay solely at the feet of winter. I've worked onstage with many of these actors before, and I have never known them to have problems with lines. Further, I have to believe it was killing them to be carrying a script.

The funny thing is though, while it was bothersome when the play opened and one actor was using a script and the other wasn't, by the time it became obvious that all were relying on scripts, it also became less distracting. I think if it had been announced pre-show that because of the shortened rehearsal schedule, the actors will be carrying scripts and looking to them every now and then, it might not ever have been a distraction at all.

That's not to say you never noticed it - strangely enough, one of the times it was most noticeable was during a major discussion scene in Act Three, and there it was noticeable because of its absence. It was a scene with very little, indeed almost no, script usage, and the snap and flow of the scene made you realize what the production could have been if the entire show had been done from memory. Because that's the problem with reading as opposed to acting - you can still get the tone and the inflections, but the pacing drops. Reading adds a slight moment of hesitation, like an engine hiccuping instead of running smooth.

But despite this, I still really enjoyed the production. The reading was the only problem I had with the show. All six actors gave strong performances, with Nelson Gurll standing out as Tobias, the true center of the story. His performance is the anchor of the production, allowing the others to play off him. Paula Grady as Claire is also quite good, and her interplay with Nelson is one of the highlights of the show. She uses the anchor he provides to full effect, giving full rein to Claire's eccentricities knowing full well that Nelson's strength won't let her spin out of control. The rest of the cast is similarly good, bringing the sort of quiet intensity you need to do this particular script well.

It's a shame this cast didn't have another week to rehearse, and it's a shame this cast doesn't have two full weeks of performance. It's a very good production, and one well worth seeing.

--David Pierce

David Pierce is a four-time past president of the Iowa City Community Theatre. He has acted, sung, directed, and worked backstage for far too many local productions to mention. He is a writer both by trade and inclination, with law and journalism as an educational background.

Backstage with A Delicate Balance

ICCT - We recently had a chance to talk to Gerry Roe, one of the actors in the Iowa City Community Theatre's production of A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee. Gerry has been a performer and director for ICCT and Dreamwell as well as appearing in shows at the University of Iowa. He is also a lifetime member of ICCT. Our conversation follows.

When you hear the name Edward Albee, you think Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? or Zoo Story. A Delicate Balance isn't quite as well known despite the fact that he won a Pulitzer for it. Can you tell us a little about the play?

Gerry: I've been an Albee fan for many years... since I first saw a production of The Sand Box, so I, too, think of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Zoo Story, but I also think of A Delicate Balance, Tiny Alice, Seascape, Three Tall Women, The Lady from Dubuque, and many others - even Box. Albee has been a major influence in the American theatre for more than forty years. A Delicate Balance is a dark comedy exploring the challenges of maintaining equilibrium when relations with family and friends become strained, when circumstances arise presenting questions about the responsibilities of love and friendship.

Your character is Harry. What is he like? What's fun or challenging about playing him?

Gerry: Harry and Edna have been married for many years and have been for forty years "best friends" with Agnes and Tobias. Harry (and Edna) suddenly find themselves in desperate circumstances. Unable to cope by themselves, they turn to their friends for assistance, assuming that help will be forthcoming. I find Harry interesting because he is forced, perhaps for the first time, to recognize what has become of his life and his marriage.

I know you had to cancel the first weekend of performances. Was that weather related?

Gerry: The unusually miserable weather--snow, sleet, ice, more snow, more sleet, et cetera... made the rehearsal schedule especially difficult. Many rehearsals had to be canceled, resulting in a very short preparation time. Occasional health issues among the cast also contributed to an abbreviated rehearsal schedule... unfortunate for a play as complex and demanding as this one.

This show was originally going to be directed by Janet Bentley before she left town. Can you talk a little bit about what it was like to have Evie step in and take over the directing responsibilities?

Gerry: Although Janet was the selected director, she left Iowa City long before the show was cast, so it wasn't really like having a new director step in during the rehearsal process. Evie agreed to take over the show and has certainly made it her own. Although I'd like to have seen what Janet might have made of this play, this production is in very good hands.

This show is filled with veteran performers with literally decades of experience. What was it like to have such a experienced cast working together?

Gerry: "Working together" is probably the key word in your question. Some of us have been friends for many years, and each of us has worked with at least some of the other cast members in other productions. Aside from enjoying each other's company, the main advantage of working with such an experienced cast is that everyone knows how to work together in the service of the play. Of course there are egos here - we are actors, after all - but we know our jobs and the only displays of "temperament" are those of the characters, not of the actors. There is real camaraderie among this cast and crew.

Can you tell us a little about the technical aspects of the production - set, costumes, lighting, etc?

Gerry: This is not a "hi-tech" production. Set, lighting, and costumes are quite simple but, we hope, suggesting an appropriate environment for the characters.

There have been rumors about ICCT and its future. Is there a 2008-09 season in the works or are things on hold right now?

Gerry: ICCT plans to announce its 53rd season soon, certainly in time to be included in the program for the final show of our 52nd season, Man with a Load of Mischief, playing April 25 - May 4.

We're all certainly glad to hear that news. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. And, as always, break a leg!

(Pictured above are Gerry Roe and Caroline Oster.)

ICCT cancels Balance's first weekend

ICCT - Iowa City Community Theatre's production of A Delicate Balance will run for only one weekend. It was originally scheduled to open March 7th, but will now open March 14th with a 7:30 performance. Other performances are March 15 at 7:30 pm and March 16 at 2:30 pm. More information here.

The cast of A Delicate Balance

ICCT - ICCT announced the cast of its upcoming show, A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee.

Agnes - Maggie Gurll
Tobias - Nelson Gurll
Claire - Paula Grady
Julia - Doreen Loring
Edna - Caroline Oster
Harry - Gerry Roe

Director - Evie Stanskse
Assistant Director - Sibyl Christensen

It appears to be a who's who of the more... experienced ICCT regulars.

Delicate Balance Auditions

ICCT - ICCT recently announced auditions on their website for A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee. They will be held at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center on Tuesday, January 28 at 7pm and Wednesday, January 29 at 8pm. Scripts are available for perusal at the Iowa City Public Library. The show is directed by Evelyn Stanske.