Berkshire Theatre Group, Stockbridge, MA
through August 26, 2017
by Jarice Hanson
 |
| Photo by Emma K. Rothenberg-Ware |
In Act II of Berkshire Theatre Group’s “At Home at the Zoo,”
Jerry, the iconic monologist of “Zoo Story: says; “A person has to find a way
of dealing with something. If not with people...something." In those two
simple sentences you get the message of both acts of the current production on
the Unicorn Stage, and actually, the challenges confronting all of Edward
Albee’s characters. “At Home at the Zoo (with the original “Zoo Story” as Act
II) combines both one of Albee’s most famous one-act plays written in 1958,
with a prequel, staged as Act I, called “Homelife,” written in 2009.
“Homelife” tells the story of Peter (David Adkins) and Ann
(Tara Franklin), a married couple who live in New York on the upper East Side
who have a stable, but uninspiring marriage. Peter decides to go to Central
Park where he often reads on his favorite bench. He meets Jerry (Joey Collins)
who epitomizes social angst and mental instability. Albee’s word choices and
the juxtaposition of class, privilege, culture and incipient violence are
fore-grounded against Randall Parson’s spare but effective set designs, and
director Eric Hill has his actors subtly moving as pacing animals, ready to
devour each other.
Act I, written fifty years after “Zoo Story,” gives Peter
the impetus to go to the park, but we know him better after seeing his domestic
life. We learn more about Peter’s own history of power and control, and it’s
very easy to empathize with him. This makes Jerry’s presence even more
menacing, and whether you know the ending to “Zoo Story” or not, the conclusion
of the play still packs a wallop.
The cast and director work in perfect harmony in this
production. The repartee in Act I is fast-paced and tight, and Adkins and
Franklin are a believable couple. Collins skillfully drives the character of
Jerry in Act II, as counterpoint to Adkins’ Peter. None of these roles are easy,
but the talented trio of actors makes it look easy—and in so doing, give
Albee’s complicated stories a contemporary relevance.
