By CHRIS ALLEN Special to the Daily Press
How crazy do you have to be to fly over the cuckoo’s nest? Crazy as a fox, or at least have such a love of life that nothing will stop you from pursuing your own happiness.
In the play “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Dale Wasserman, based on the novel by Ken Kesey and directed by Dr. Frank X. Ford, we are introduced to a marvelous group of institutionalized mental patients and their health-care supervisors.
The Santa Monica Civic Light Opera’s stage is set to resemble a corporate work area, complete with cubicle-esque work-stations and a conference table center stage. The only thing out of the norm is the conspicuous control booth where the ward supervisors keep an ever-vigilant watch over their patients.
Truthfully, the patients don’t seem to need any supervision. Most are docile and content with the one occasional outburst of Tourrette’s syndrome. Everything is controlled and peaceful until the arrival of R.P. McMurphy played wonderfully by Ryan Hurst (recently seen in ‘The Ladykillers’). It’s arguable whether McMurphy is truly insane or simply looking for a way out of the responsibilities of socialized life. Regardless, he commits himself into this mental institution and quickly assumes leadership over this oddball mix of inmates. However, McMurphy’s free-spirited leadership clashes with the ward’s stiff and starched head nurse, Ms. Ratched played by Cynthia Marty.
The play is a little slow to start and spreads itself too thin with the sudden inundation of the inmates and Ms. Ratched (Marty) and how they respond to each other. A little more than halfway through the first act we hit the conflict of the play — nurse Ratched’s strict and calm institutional bureaucracy versus the free spirit and passion for life of McMurphy (Hurst) and how he enlivens the comatose inmates.
The battle begins, which plays out more like McMurphy being a snotty 2-year-old seeing what he can get away with from a strict enforcing mother. There are moments of humor and moments of heart-wrenching drama, and even moments of on-stage shock treatment. The first act ends with an inspiring scene sincere leadership and imagination as the inmates following McMurphy’s lead cheer for a World Series game on a blank television.
This was a good play with some bits missing that — if present — would make it a great play. These are small pieces that make up a greater whole. This is a play that is driven by character actors. There is no dashing leading man or sexy leading lady. Every single character on stage needs to be able to play from one extreme to the other. The ensemble of inmates did a great job of portraying the feeling of being broken and controlled by the institution. When McMurphy arrives, they must become their full and bright crazy selves.
Being an ensemble, the cast is as weak as its weakest actor. In this case, I turn my gaze to nurse Ratched played by Marty. Don’t get me wrong. She’s a wonderful actress and has a strong presence on stage. However, her physicality for nurse Ratched was off the mark. It felt that there was no base physicality for her character, so when it came to those extreme moments, there was nothing and it came across awkward. Nurse Ratched must have an underlying sense of sensual sexuality very much like a dominatrix. Yet, that sexuality should be totally masked by a complete and utter control of emotion. Also, she must have a total efficiency of movement — no extraneous gestures. Then, when it comes to those extreme moments — electric shock scene and the climax — her sexuality can peek out just a bit and we’ll see just how horrible a villain she really is.
There is a small cameo appearance by Stuart Damon (as seen on “General Hospital”) as the hospital’s chief administrator, Dr. Spivey, for which he is billed opposite Ryan Hurst on the program. I feel that this is an egregious error and the more deserving Marty who had the female role should replace Damon’s name on the program.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is the first production of the new Santa Monica Civic Light Opera’s Viking Underground theatre company. It is playing at Barnum Hall Theatre on the Samohi campus. The show runs until July 31. For additional information visit www.smclo.org.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 23, 2004. Read the original PDF.