Stories My Grandmother Told Me - Play Review

AMERICAN HEARTLAND THEATRE
JAN 11 - FEB 24, 2008

BY
Taylor Pero

May the Gods and Bards be praised! The current offering at the American Heartland Theatre in Crown Center is as close to a perfect play as I have ever seen on that stage.

I have complained many times in past reviews of actors not enunciating their vowels, syllables and consonants to ensure each and every word can be heard, recognized, and remembered by the audience. Many times in past productions it seemed that the actors were spouting their lines with machine gun speed in an effort to keep things 'lively' or 'interesting". The result was neither interesting nor lively. It was frantic and irritating and I seldom came home in a good mood.

Last night all of that changed as if by magic. I attended the World Premiere play with music "Stories My Grandmother Told Me" and witnessed playwright Ted Swindley's probable classic encased with perfect diction delivered in exactly the right cadence (with Southern accents, no less) at a pace that charmed the audience and allowed us to relax, sit back and enjoy the unfolding story of a young man's relationship with the matriarch of his Southern Family. There are no great surprises here, no sight gags, no ridiculousness, and the players are not screaming for your attention every minute they're spotlighted during the production. What a relief!

This is the kind of play that draws the audience in through plain old great story-telling, meticulous direction, and a cast perfectly selected and working as an ensemble, well rehearsed, and knowing they're good ... damned good, before the First Act begins.

The Southern matriarch played to perfection is actress Peggy Friesen, a well-known veteran actor in and around Kansas City. Her character is Gladys, a lady of a certain age with spunk and wit who runs the lives of her Southern family with a charming innocence about her which conceals a devious, opportunistic, loving and charitable inner core. Everything she does is for the benefit of her family ... especially her oldest grandson, John Mark, also superbly cast in the person of actor Dylan Paul, who has the "It" factor that Hollywood will someday find. Read more about Dylan Paul at the end of this review.

Equally as impressive in his performance of the older, grown up John Mark is the impressive Kip Niven also a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theater and dozens of feature films as well as a huge body of work in every form of the acting profession too numerous to include them all. His roles of narrator and in the person of the adult John Mark are like the Meringue on a Lemon Pie. The ingredients are the best of the best, his voice as soothing to the ear as the ripple of a wave on a lakeshore. It's no wonder Kip is a long-standing member of Right Between the Ears, an award-winning, nationally-syndicated radio comedy show.

On my way home, through the Currier & Ives of lightly falling snow, I felt at peace with the world and "Stories My Grandmother Told Me" had put me in that frame of mind. I recalled the fragrances of roasting fine meats with herbs and spice made by our cook in my own childhood and remembered how cozy and warm it was to lie in front of a fire watching flames dance on the logs. Be good to yourself. Make sure to see this work of art and it will nourish your soul and mind. If Hallmark (owners of The AHT) has any vision, this play right under their noses would be great viewing for television and CD's. It's exactly right for The Hallmark Hall of Fame series. A note to the cast: When you accept your awards at a future Emmy Show, remember my name and how to pronounce it. Pero is pronounced Purr-oh.

On another matter unrelated to the performance: When it was time to meet and greet the cast after the show I stood behind two elderly ladies waiting to speak with Dylan Paul (he played John Mark) who was engrossed in conversation with an unknown person. As we stood politely waiting our turn it became obvious that Mr. Paul was either unaware of our presence or was loathe to end his conversation and tend to his public. That raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Once you're off stage does not mean you are done for the night. It is the fans that can help make or break a career and the rude behavior being exhibited by the handsome actor told me that he has a lot to learn about dealing with the public. The two ladies finally got miffed and said, "To heck with it" and found their way out. I stood for another minute or two feeling as welcome as a chest cold and it was obvious the conversation was not about to stop so I did what needed to be done by stepping forth and saying, "Ex-cuse me." Which got Mr. Paul's attention and made the person he was talking to flush with consternation. With my ingratiating smile and a friendly voice I told him first that I admired his performance and thought he has a great future in the acting field. He was appropriately grateful to hear this from a total stranger, I'm sure. I then called to his attention that two "fans" had just walked away because he had ignored them. He got my point but acted as though he didn't know or understand that "Meet the Cast" does not mean to anchor one's self to the bar and engage in ongoing conversation to the oblivion of others. So, to make myself clear, I left him with words of encouragement and repeated that he needs to learn the actor's art of acknowledging and working his public admirers. So, why do I bring this up? Because we're never so important that we can't be kind to strangers. And ... without fans there's no career. It's as true in business as it is in acting.