Alyssa Wejebe
The Theatre Arts Department’s production of “The Diviners” by Jim Leonard Jr. was met with applause and a standing ovation at the Dow Arena Theatre.
With a simple stage with two naked, clawed trees and limited props, the cast brought the story of faith and trust by Jim Leonard Jr. to life.
Set in Indiana during the Great Depression, the plot focuses on C.C. Showers, a man determined to forget his past as a preacher. However, he meets Buddy Layman, a young boy with an innocent if slow mind, with a mysterious knack for predicting rain—yet he is terrified of water.
When the play started, the boy was already dead.
What followed next was a chronicling of the events leading up to it.
Yet instead of a pervasive tension throughout the audience over the prospect of witnessing that inevitability, several times they broke out into chuckles and full-out laughter when the cast showed real light and charm, not just the darkness.
The cast was true to the script and to the real-life interactions between people in it, especially with the Layman family. The affection and turmoil between Buddy and his father and older sister rang true.
Buddy, played by Michael Beck, 19, a theater major, at first seemed a bit much with his constant stutter and flailing arms—until things clicked into place and the boy’s eagerness about life became clear.
Certainly Buddy’s terror of water was palpable. In one scene, he was curled into a blanket, and always with fear-choked shrillness in his voice.
As Showers, William Barker ran the gamut from the preacher’s talkative and dramatic flair when showing his showmanship side, to his growing fondness and protectiveness over Buddy, to his exasperation and frustration over his former preaching.
Mark Howard, reprising his role as Ferris Layman after 21 years, expertly conveys the father’s struggle to raise his children and live with the death of his wife and the damage done to his only son.
As Jennie May Layman, Liza Miranda skillfully balanced the character’s large responsibility in her family with her normal adolescent needs for normalcy.
Steven L. Rogers brought out Basil Bennett’s no-nonsense reason as his character farmed and doctored the small Indiana community.
Crystal Lott, as Louella Bennett, played well off her husband with her constant doubt and the amusing attitude that built up.
As Dewey Maples and Melvin Wilder, Evan Boelsen and Arcinio White respectively had the chemistry for a dynamic comedy duo. White brims with Wilder’s confidence, while Boelsen sincerely plays out Maples’ awkwardness, though he was able to channel that into seriousness when the plot called for it.
Sharon Samples perfectly showed Norma Henshaw’s desperate and oblivious will to believe, which leads to various misunderstandings that contributed to the audience’s mirth.
Darlene Henshaw, played by Ashley Elizabeth Presley, mixes the character’s flaws with a small spark of charm, especially in her romance with Dewey Maples.
Combined with the minimalist stage design, lighting techniques and sound effects were top notch, coming together near the finale for scene of high emotion.
In a full collaboration effect between actors and behind-the-scenes personnel, the “Diviners” was shown as a cohesive, clear and entertaining interpretation of the original script.
RoZsa Horvath, a theater arts professor at Pierce College who will be retiring from full-time employment this June, directed the production.
More information about Jim Leonard, Jr. and his other plays can be found at the Playwrights Database, http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsL/leonard-jr-jim.html
Michael Beck (left) and William Barker in “The Diviners,” which ran April 30-May 9 in the Dow Arena Theatre. (Photo courtesy of the Pierce College Theater Department)