Ovation Fellows are current students or recent alumni from Los Angeles area universities. Fellows are paired with a Mentor, currently serving as an Ovation Award voter, and see productions and meet artists around Greater Los Angeles throughout the year. Their articles, posted on LAStageBlog, are intended to be their personal responses to their experiences, and not as critical reviews or representing the views of LA Stage Alliance.
Daniel Everson is an Ovation Fellow from the California Institute for the Arts.
Equivocation, written by Bill Cain, directed by David Esbjornson and presented by the Geffen Playhouse opened on November 18, 2009 with a stellar cast: Joe Spano, Patrick J. Adams, Troian Bellisario, Harry Groener, Brian Henderson and Connor Trinneer.
The core energy of Equivocation is textual. There are no bells, whistles or bombs that actually go off in this production, just words. But can the power of words entertain us just as easily as special effects or visual enhancements? Of course words can. Words can inspire, words invigorate or engage us, and words can be the very threshold of a revolution. However, words can put people to sleep.
Bill Cain is unquestionably a talented writer who clearly identifies his play as “telling the truth in difficult times.” Unfortunately as an audience member, I didn’t hear or see that.
Step One: The importance of affirming what I saw as opposed to why it didn’t work.
My Affirmation – What I did hear in Bill Cain’s Equivocation was a voluptuous lyrical play that reassembles the Shakespearean Age with modern tonality. I definitely understood a story about a 400-year-old terrorism plot against the King of England but what I should have seen was the keystones to Cain’s Gothic support arches. Plainly, telling the truth even though it may hurt. Well ironically I suppose I should do the same for this production.
Intermission – A painful ritual that still continues today in theater. I have never fully understood the importance of intermission, except for grabbing a quick snack or bathroom break; it also allows people to physically exit. I think some patrons abuse the intermission as the polite way of saying, “Thanks, I’m not interested so I’ll leave now.” The night I saw Equivocation about 40% of the audience didn’t return after intermission, and that hurts–the institution, the playwright, the director and the actors, especially the actors; it physically affects a performer when half of your audience disappears before part two or even the theater patrons who come back to fill a seat but nod off into oblivion.
Bill Cain’s work may or may not be your taste in theater but still an unimaginable amount of work is put into this production and I for one believe Equivocation should be a play to see again, to fully appreciate how intricate, developed and challenging it really is.
Heya Daniel! THANK YOU for addressing the abhorrent theater etiquette of many LA audiences. Last Saturday I saw (and loved) Equivocation – - particularly Patrick J. Adams’ performance as Sharpe/Thomas Winter/King James – - and was, frankly, pretty embarrassed, then downright angry, when a group of four sitting near me failed to return from intermission. It’s one of my unwritten rules: I can walk out of a play ONLY if it is god-awful. Granted, I’ve cringed my way through some iffy shows (recently “Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas”) as a result, but c’mon! People work hard, no one sets out to make a bad play &, btw, actors actually need an audience to make the whole theater thing work. For goodness sake, the characters of Richard and Shagespeare praise the virtue of “this” (meaning theater itself, performance, the spoken word, etc.) & the importance of art’s very existence during trying times (hint: current events included). I urge audiences to show some manners. It’s not hard; ya paid for the ticket, so sit it out. Standing ovation, sadly, is still optional.
On another note, I don’t fully understand your critique, that you “didn’t hear or see” Cain tell “the truth in difficult times.” I’m sincerely curious, not in a sarcastic way, what “truth” you think he tries and fails to convey. I believe that the playwright makes, at the very least, two solid points: that art should never be dispensable & that the TRUTH must be told ONSTAGE. Cain seems to suggest that the stage – - in the eyes of at least a small group of people, armed with a unique moral code – - is a sacred place; after all, every aspect of the play is structured within an approximation of the Globe. On the off-chance someone reads this comment, I don’t want to drop too many spoilers, but I will say that Shagespeare’s crusade to discover and “tell the truth” may reflect a good writer’s desire to produce something more than profitable entertainment, which is often shallow & escapist (the latter really translating to meaningless). A possible interpretation of the central character’s quest and mandate: make ART – - poignant, moving & relevant work – - in difficult times; tell the truth, by holding up a mirror & showcasing reality, even when people would rather ignore it; entertain, but don’t compromise the quality of the play in order to do so.
At the end of the day, this production (by far, my favorite from the Geffen’s summer/fall season) is definitely worth the price of admission. Maybe the stars aren’t as famous & a literary geek (like me, an undergraduate majoring in English) will laugh a little more than someone unfamiliar with Shakespeare, but the acting is EXCELLENT. Equivocation also offers beautiful language & a nifty twist on history. Tucked away is an interesting subplot concerning a strained father/daughter relationship. Here’s hoping that people check it out, and stay for the lovely conclusion.