Believing in imaginary rabbits doesn"t make you crazy
May 8, 2008
What do you get when you mix a 6-foot-1-and-a-half-inch invisible white rabbit who can foretell the future and stop time; a middle-aged, bar-hopping bachelor; a very conventional matron and her marriageable daughter; and the staff of a psychiatric asylum?
The answer can be found on stage at Stuart’s Opera House today through Sunday when Athenian Players Theatre and Berean Community Players present Mary Chase’s classic comedy, “Harvey.”
Although Harvey, the talented rabbit (actually a pooka, or mythical being), never appears to the audience, his portrait does. Nelsonville artist Sandra Russell painted a double portrait of Harvey and his human friend, Elwood P. Dowd (played by Dean Barker), and also a portrait of Elwood’s mother, the late Marcella Pinney Dowd. The portraits figure prominently in the action of the play.
After the death of Marcella Pinney Dowd, Elwood’s sister, Veta Louise Simmons (Celeste Parsons), and her daughter Myrtle Mae (Heidi Wilhelm) return to live in the family home. Elwood disrupts a tea party meant to launch Myrtle Mae into local society by introducing Harvey to family friend Ethel Chauvenet (Ruth Borovicka) and all the other guests.
Veta decides in desperation to have Elwood committed to Chumley’s Rest, a genteel psychiatric asylum.
However, Veta’s description of Harvey convinces Dr. Sanderson (Bruce Jones) and Nurse Kelly (Shelly Rigs) that Veta herself is the person in need of psychiatric help. Staff assistant Wilson (Joe Balding) begins Veta’s treatment rather over-enthusiastically, and when the mix-up is discovered with the help of Mrs. Chumley (Cecilia Rinaldi), even an apology by Dr. Chumley (David Bower) himself doesn’t stop Veta from instructing her attorney Judge Gaffney (Neal Nesbitt) to sue.
Harvey and Elwood’s friendship continues to provoke, intrigue and frustrate the human characters. Ultimately, with some help from a friendly cab driver (Roland Swardson), everyone gains insight into the nature of dreams and sanity.
“Harvey” won the Pulitzer Prize in May 1945. The movie version in 1950 starred Jimmy Stewart as Elwood and Josephine Hull as Veta Louise (which earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). In 1972, the first of several television versions also starred Stewart, but featured Helen Hayes as Veta.
Director Norman Cohn has played both Elwood and Dr. Chumley.
“Harvey” will be performed at 8 tonight (Thursday) through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville. Call 740-753-1924 or go to www.stuartsoperahouse.org for reservations.
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