Bobbie Clearly

C

Clearly may be the title character’s last name, but it is hardly a description of the manner in which he is portrayed. As a 14-year-old in rural Nebraska, he murders a girl named Casey in a cornfield for no apparent reason. If you expect to discover his motivation, you will be disappointed. The play traces the impact of his senseless act on ten residents of his hometown, Milton, Nebraska (pop. 750) over a period of about 15 years. They include Darla London (Constance Shulman; Barbecue), the town’s sole police officer, who narrates most of the story; Casey’s parents, Jane (Crystal Finn; Kingdom Come) and Stanley Welch (Christopher Innvar; The Snow Geese); Casey's brother Eddie (Tyler Lea; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), who witnessed the murder; two friends, Megan (Talene Monahon; The Government Inspector) and Meghan (Sasha Diamond; Significant Other), who are friendly rivals; Derek (JD Taylor), a shallow guy who gets by on his good looks; Russ (Marcus Ho; The Last Match). a very close friend of Jane’s; and two townies Pete (Gabriel Brown; The City of Conversation) and Mitch (Brian Quijada; My Mañana Comes). Each deals with the tragedy in a different way ranging from hatred to stoic acceptance to forgiveness. Two years after the murder, the Welches set up a foundation in Casey’s honor and initiate an annual talent show to raise funds. After ten years, Bobbie Clearly (Ethan Dubin; Rancho Viejo) is released from prison. His return to Milton stirs up many passions, which are exacerbated when he decides to enter the talent show. I think playwright Alex Lubitscher was aiming for a portrayal of small-town life in the vein of “Our Town” rather than a portrait of Bobbie. The performances from the talent show are more entertaining than relevant. Watching a hunter eviscerate a deer was just nasty. The quality of the acting varies widely. There are a few scenes that totally engage our rapt attention. While I admire the playwright’s ambition and raw talent, I do not feel that he was able to maintain firm control over his material. The tone wobbles from moment to moment. Roundabout Underground has mounted a lavish production. The set design by Arnulfo Maldonado (Indecent, Charm) covers all four walls of the auditorium with husked and detasseled ears of corn behind chicken wire. The audience is seated on three sides on folding chairs stenciled with “Milton Comm. Center.” Director Will Davis (Charm) keeps things moving along smoothly. While I would not call it a success, I am not sorry that I saw it. Running time: two hours 20 minutes including two intermissions.

Barbecue ****

Robert O’Hara’s raunchy and raucous new play at the Public Theater is full of surprises. It’s a challenge to describe the play in any detail without giving something away and spoiling the fun. Suffice to say that in the first act an extremely dysfunctional family lures their crack-addicted sister to a barbecue in her favorite park so they can perform an intervention. All is not what it seems. In the second act we move backward and forward in time to discover what preceded and followed the action of the first act. I wish I could be more specific, but to tell more might ruin your experience. The playwright skewers several cliches and pop cultural icons along the way. The talented cast of ten (Becky Ann Baker, Marc Damon Johnson, Arden Myrin, Paul Niebanck, Tamberla Perry, Constance Shulman, Heather Alicia Simms, Samantha Soule, Benja Kay Thomas and Kim Wayans) attack their roles with gusto (Perry, in particular). Clint Ramos’s set captures the feel of a picnic pavilion in a verdant park. Paul Tazewell’s costumes are delightful. O'Hara's inventiveness does not flag. Happily, he chose not to direct his own work this time (his direction of “Bootycandy” did it no favors.) Kent Cash handles the assignment admirably. While the satire is far from subtle, the play is so entertaining that I didn’t mind the heavy-handedness. The audience was demonstratively enthusiastic. It's not for everyone, especially those with an aversion to profanity and vulgarity. Running time: one hour 50 minutes including intermission.