The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, directed by Bruce Coen, will be presented at Cite Des Arts at 7:30 pm, Thursdays through Saturdays, May 28st-June 6th.
Many of us of a certain age remember the 1962 movie of the same name. The plot is simple. Helen Keller (1880-1968) is left blind, deaf and mute after a bout with scarlet fever or meningitis when she is an infant. She lives in a dark silent world, terrifying her helpless family with uncontrollable rages. A half-blind Yankee school girl, Annie Sullivan (1866-1936), is hired to care for her and possibly teach her some rudimentary skills. It’s Annie’s success in breaking the barrier between Helen and the sentient world, the climactic scene in the play, that is the miracle.
Helen went on to have an exceptionally productive life. But she recalled, “The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me.”
The Cite production is as good as community theatre gets because of Bruce Coen’s vision. He chose an ideal cast and behind-the-scenes collaborators. The set, designed by the master Walter Brown, gave the illusion of spaciousness in the intimate confines of the theater. Steve Eichoff and Joseph Diaz were in the “booth” managing sound and light. I mention these fellows because they make the difference between an enjoyable evening and a memorable one.
The smaller roles helped bring humanity and warmth to the play. Viney (Chelsea Charles), Percy (Cody Charles) and Martha (Zoe Antoine), the housekeeper and her children, were humorous and cute – a release from otherwise serious business. Dr. Anagos (Gene Ogle) had the right balance of sympathy and concern. Aunt Ev (Margo Uter) was perfectly annoying as a busy-body relative. Jimmy Keller (Brady Higginbotham) was an obnoxious selfish little twit until the final scene. NOTE!- To Margo and Brady: I’m paying you compliments on your acting!
Kate Keller (Rachael LeBlanc) and Captain Keller (Jack Sorenson), Helen’s parents, were loving, conflicted, full of despair, hopeful, hopeless – in fact, how I imagine I would feel if Helen were my child.
Of course, the ultimate success of the play rests on Helen (Colette Soileau) and Annie (Sarah Gauthier) in these very physical parts. These roles, in the movie anyway, were career makers for Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft. It is unfortunate that Colette and Sarah won’t get any rewards past the final curtain on June 6. They are that good!
Just a footnote: It’s unfortunate that this production didn’t occur during the school year. It’s as much a part of the American cultural landscape as the perennial high school favorites, To Kill A Mockingbird and The Diary Of Anne Frank.
---Robert D. Sidman, Ph.D.
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