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An Enjoyable Misunderstanding
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It was dark and rainy outside, but even more so inside. White coffee cups lined the shelves on the walls and surrounded the room on all four sides. On that Halloween night, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly I was looking at or why I found this atmosphere of rain and mugs before me so enrapturing. However, I would find out as the lights came up at the Horizon Theatre Rep’s Production of The Misunderstanding by Albert Camus.
Camus’ 1948 masterpiece plays deceptively simply. The plot is linear and straightforward: A man named Jan returns to his hometown to re-establish ties with the sister and mother he left behind many years ago. Withholding his identity from them, he books a room at the inn that they run. That his sister and mother would want to kill this “stranger” that interferes with their plans to leave the dreary town is not something Jan anticipates. I can tell you that the murder goes off without a hitch and that Jan’s identity is eventually found out because knowing all of the nuances of the plot won’t affect your enjoyment of the show. With Camus, it is about the journey of the work, and not the destination.
Camus was one of the founding fathers of the modernist philosophy known as existentialism, although he was a great thinker in many areas and didn’t consider himself an existentialist. His credo basically states that life has no innate purpose and that man’s search for purpose is what guides him. His work definitely reflects that. Naturally, his characters are full of desire, perhaps to such an extreme that an actor would find it a challenge to play someone so intensely one-dimensional. Speaking as a student of the craft, it would be an easy acting trap to fall into. Did any of the actors actually fall into the trap? Thankfully, no.
ER’s Ellen Crawford’s portrayal of Jan’s mother is subtle and multifaceted. It sticks with you long after she makes her final exit. Martha, Jan’s sister, (played by Wendy Allegaert) has the challenge of playing someone so emotionally sheltered that they have never even known love. As Martha reveals that she feels no remorse for Jan’s murder, Miss Allegaert gives a powerhouse performance that shows us the raw form of the new emotions that that very act—murder—has thrust upon Martha.
I find the production not only worth seeing to support the sadly underperformed works of the highly underrated Albert Camus, but also to see the moments of collective brilliance that the entire cast brings to the table.
The Misunderstanding runs until November 22nd.
For tickets and other information, visit www.theflea.org .