Six Degrees of Separation
Theatre Frisco
Six Degrees of Separation
by John Guare
My thoughts on Six Degrees of Separation or…straining the quality of mercy
Congratulations to Theatre Frisco on choosing John Guare’s provocative 1990 play. This is a departure from their lighter fare, and I was a bit concerned that they might not be able to pull off this dark comedy. My worries proved to be unfounded as this production is in fine form. It’s slick and cool and gets across the moral dilemmas that Guare explores. Like the two-sided Kandinsky that is featured so prominently here, the duality of human nature is on display front and center.
Most everyone is familiar with the plot from the movie, but basically it concerns the lives of a group of Upper East Siders being disrupted by Paul, a charismatic con man who claims to be a friend of their children and the son of Sidney Poitier. Paul is a smooth and intelligent liar and is able to quickly ingratiate himself to these wealthy people, who, just below the surface, have all kinds of trouble of their own. Guare’s play forces us to question who is or is not moral and to recognize the intense human need to connect with others. As the title implies and a character explains, there is a theory that we are all just six people away from being connected to anyone in the world.
This Six Degrees is blessed to have Rodney Dobbs as the set designer. Dobbs creates an art gallery of sorts with the dual sided Kandinsky its most featured treasure. Dobbs has us immediately in the art dealing world of the central couple, Flan and Ouisa Kittredge, the moment we enter the auditorium. A rotating square is used to transport us to many other locations. I have seen Equity productions of this play that were not as well designed.
Director Ashley Puckett Gonzales takes the “play”ground created by Dobbs and uses it in many clever ways to enhance the story. Her use of flashlights to emphasize moments is a bit of directorial genius as is using supporting characters to be anonymous “servants” to Flan and Ouisa mostly early in the play. This not only emphasizes the wealth of the couple, but also their disconnect from the real world. Gonzales keeps the play briskly paced and engrossing making it a quick ninety minutes. Gonzales is also given good support from Josh Hensley’s lighting and Jessie Wallace’s costumes.
Gonzales is also adept at casting as there is no weak link in this group of actors. The younger cast members almost all play dual roles, and all do very well delineating their characters.
Justin Taylor is fine as Ben, but really shines as Trent, the lonely young gay man whose obsession with Paul fuels the play’s plot. Taylor brings a realistic tenderness and quiet desperation to the character and his scene on the sofa with Paul is one of the best in the play.
Tess, the privileged daughter of Ouisa and Flan, is played by Elena Holt. Holt is terrific, especially in the telephone scenes where she berates her parents for their supposed racist behavior and informs them of her intentions to get married and go mountain climbing in Afghanistan. Holt also appears as the policeman.
Levi Skoog, as Tess’s brother Woody, is equally terrific as the childish young man who is a little too upset about the loss of his pink shirt. However, Skoog is truly impressive as Rick, one half of the young couple whose lives Paul destroys. Skoog gives Rick an easy charm that endears him to the audience and also makes his story line even more tragic.
As Rick’s girlfriend Elizabeth, Lilly McCullough gives the character a hippyish vibe. McCullough has an appealing presence and gives Elizabeth a naive, trusting personality. However, some of McCullough’s best moments come when she learns of Paul’s deception and gets tough and outspoken demanding justice.
Benjamin McElroy is Doug, the resentful son of Dr. Fine. McElroy is intense as he lambasts his father for what he perceives to be his failings. McElroy is equally intense as the hustler Paul brings into the home of Flan and Ouisa. His hustler is frighteningly bold and, in your face. One note, and this is really my only criticism of the play, get rid of that ridiculous stache that McElroy wears in the hustler scene. It’s not only distracting, it makes him look more like a 70’s porn star or the lovechild of Groucho Marx and Eugene Levy than a 90’s hustler. McElroy is a strong enough actor to keep the audience from confusing his two characters without the stache.
Gonzales enlists the talents of some stage pros to play the adult roles in Six Degrees. John Rodgers is Dr. Fine, another one of Paul’s “victims.” Rodgers as Fine at first comes across as a kind and thoughtful man but garners our contempt as his racism and bigotry are revealed.
Mark Eaglesham, an actor with an impressive stage presence, is the South African art dealer Geoffrey who is making an art deal with the Kittredges the night that Paul arrives. Eaglesham gives Geoffrey a likeability that he perhaps does not deserve as he views apartheid in his country as just something that gets in his way. He is the epitome of white privilege.
Andi Allen and Brian Hoffman are Kitty and Larkin, wealthy friends of the Kittredges and the parents of Ben. They have also been taken in by Paul. Allen’s Kitty is upbeat, a sort of louder, less sophisticated version of Ouisa and I admire the levity Allen brings to the role. Hoffman, on the other hand, makes Larkin slightly aloof and maybe rightfully suspicious of his wife. Allen and Hoffman are totally convincing as a couple who has been together for a long time despite their differences.
The Kittredges are played by Arianna Movassagh and Alex Rain. They are another thoroughly believable married couple. I liked the excitability that Rain gives the character of Flan. You can almost feel his joy as he speaks of making another huge art deal. His Flan is not only a powerful art broker, but also admires art and how it is constructed. In contrast, to Rain’s Flan, Movassagh’s Ouisa is more lowkey and her pensive moments on stage are among her best. Unlike Flan, Ouisa feels a connection to Paul. Ouisa has a maternal sympathy toward Paul that Movassagh projects extremely well. The Kittredges for all their worldliness and wealth prove to be easy marks for Paul.
I was actually stunned to look in my playbill to find that London Crawford who plays Paul is a freshman at UT Arlington and that this is his first production outside of school. Well, look out world cause here he comes. Crawford is superb as the glib, intelligent, and manipulative young con man. Whether delivering a rather lengthy monologue, charming Ouisa and Flan, conning Dr. Fine, deceiving Elizabeth and Rick, or cuddling on the sofa with Trent, Crawford’s Paul is outstanding. Sit back and watch this young man’s career take off. Bravo.
Ashley Puckett Gonzales has fashioned a wonderful interpretation of John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation. It’s impeccably designed, directed, and acted. Kudos to Theatre Frisco for including the play in their season.
Grade: A-
Grade without the stache: A
