“North” Hits Our Town

A funny but rocky adaptation comes to Arena Stage.

By Joe Killiany

Who wouldn’t want to live in Thornton Wilder’s universe? It’s a place where 14-year-old girls answer questions that have plagued philosophers for centuries, where cheating husbands reconcile with their wives in heartfelt embraces, and where, at the end of the day, the word “home” does not cause people to wince. In addition, the three-time Pulitzer Prize winner’s ability to walk the candy floss line between sincerity and corny seems almost novel in the early 21st century, an era where a guy pretending to be rich so he can hitch a hottie hypnotizes millions weekly. These are probably some of the factors that contributed to Mathew Burnett’s decision to adapt Wilder’s last novel, “Theophilus North,” for the stage. They’re certainly some of the factors that make his

Mathew Floyd Miller as Theophilus North

At the play’s opening, 30-year-old Theophilus North (played with joyful earnestness by Mathew Floyd Miller) quits his job at a New Jersey prep school to do some traveling, see the world, and find himself. He buys a used car for $25 and leaves town. However, he only gets as far as Newport, RI, when the jalopy breaks down in an adamantly asthmatic performance by Valerie Leonard that deserves to be seen rather than described. Being an enterprising fellow, though, Theophilus sells the car to a mechanic and picks up odd jobs around town.

Will Work For Stories

These jobs form the crux of the show but it takes too long to get to them. The play’s first 30 minutes are purely set up and it feels that way. Director Mark Cuddy doesn’t help push the action along either. Too often, the audience wonders if this plane will ever take off, as performers stand stuck in a line downstage. It wastes G.W. Mercier’s Wilder-esque minimalist set. However, when the new boy in Newport begins to interact with its residents, “Theophilus North” gets some wind under its wings. Whether he’s giving tennis lessons, tutoring French, reading to old men, or breaking up bad relationships, Theophilus is always entertaining. He eventually weaves himself into the town’s texture and earns a reputation as a man who not only gets things done, but who also does it with an easy smile and disarming charm.

Burnett’s illustration of the main themes of Wilder’s novel is excellent. The idea that losing yourself in the world of literature, art, or childishness has its advantages and drawbacks is especially worth note. The scenes about Myra Granberry, a pregnant woman who is bedridden for fear of a third miscarriage, stand out. Theophilus is hired by her husband to read to her so he can go out with his mistress. At first, Myra isn’t so keen on the idea but eventually throws herself into Shakespeare’s plays to avoid her feelings of detachment from her husband. Eventually, with a little help from Theophilus, literature ends up bringing people together.

The cast is remarkable. Six actors --three men and three women -- play all of the people Theophilus encounters in Newport. Whether thoroughly fleshed out or left slightly vague, Edward James Hyland, Michael Laurino, Valerie Leonard, Siobhan Mahoney, Andrew Polk, and Lynn Steinmetz play their charges’ quirks to the hilt and do a worthy job of highlighting the production’s self-consciousness.

In the end, though, while entertaining and often engaging, “Theophilus North” too often wears its literary origin on its sleeve. It feels episodic rather than dramatic and most of the scenes have the air of a lecture hall. A good lecture, sure, but one nonetheless. Yet the show’s biggest problem is its lack of originality. It’s based on a story by Thornton Wilder, uses Wilder’s various theatrical innovations, and employs a set that looks like it came from a Wilder play. This begs the question: If Thornton Wilder wanted “Theophilus North” to be a play, wouldn’t he have written it as one?

“Theophilus North” runs until March 2nd.

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Joe Killiany wrote about theatre for the now-defunct Play DC. He is an artistic director for Mister Mayhem Studios, a DC-based theatre company.