Sometimes,
one of the best things about certain shows is the title. In this case, with
None Too Fragile Theater’s production of Bruce Graham’s White Guy on a Bus, the title has the desired effect of staking out
two sides of the conflict to come.
Driving
around town, we’ve all seen the people who are waiting for the bus, and they
are predominantly African-American. These are people with low wage jobs that
can’t afford personal transportation. So when the wealthy Caucasian financial
advisor Ray starts riding the bus to the local prison late at night on the
weekends, and repeatedly chats up an African-American woman who is a trainee
nurse at the facility, you begin
to wonder what he’s up to.
These
are the thoughts that go through Shatique’s mind, as a black woman who has to
ride the bus out of necessity. And their shared rides lead to the surprising
climax of a play that, most of the time, doesn’t earn its own earnestness about
racial tensions, identity and privilege. The problems here are due both to the
honest but overly obvious script and some decidedly vague performances.
Before
Ray and Shatique meet, we are introduced to Ray’s wife Roz, who is a teacher at
an inner city school and who wears her cynicism like a badge of honor
(recounting the numbers of times she’s been called “white bitch” by her
charges). But hidden under her smartass comments about her minority students
beats a heart that really cares.
However,
this doesn’t come forth when Roz is debating racial issues with her daughter
Molly, who’s a teacher at a cushy private school. Nor with Molly’s fiancé
Christopher, who, it just so happens, is an academic fellow working on a study
of African-American and Asian males in advertising.
For
his part, Ray is a guy who says he wants to sell his house—no, he wants to sell
everything—and move to an island somewhere. But those dreams of sitting on a
beach end when a tragic event changes his intentions, and not in a good way.
The
issues the playwright raises are powerful ones, especially in today’s world,
and Graham is to be commended for being totally honest about the racial divide
that exists in America. But his incessant hammering on these issues, while
neglecting a more believable character-driven approach, eventually sabotages
his own work.
In
some cases, the performances don’t help this situation. As Ray, Joseph Bonamico
remains stuck in a casual, hands-in-pants-pockets style of acting that never
clarifies what’s going on in Ray’s mind. As a result, the later actions of this
troubled man fail to ring true. As his wife Roz, Dede Klein has some sharp
exchanges with other family members. But the scenes between Ray and Roz, even
when they’re showing affection for each other, feel generic and stiff.
As
for the smaller roles, they also don’t ignite much interest. Tony Zanoni’s
off-handed reading of Christopher doesn’t come across as an earnest young man
pursuing his doctoral dissertation. And the excellent actor Rachel Lee Kolis
appears hemmed in by Molly’s fairly unbelievable innocence about how the world
works for people of different races.
Emerging
most unscathed in this production is India Nicole Burton, who manages to
fashion a character in Shatique that feels genuine and worthy of exploration.
With
its non-realistic furniture (gray boxes, mostly) and its attempt at realistic
dialog, this NTF show is a mixed bag that director Sean Derry never quite gets
a grip on. One hopes that NTF finds a way to give Derry (who also designed and
helped build the set and is involved in most management aspects of the theater)
a break. If he can offload some of his many duties, including having a guest
director more frequently, it will help this talented man recharge his
impressive creative battery.
White
Guy on the Bus
Through
May 26 at None Too Fragile Theater, 1835 Merriman Rd., Akron (enter through Pub
Bricco), 330-962-5547, nonetoofragile.com.
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