“…to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave…”
Christmas starts in October for everyone else, so why not use a lesser-recognized Dickens’ quote to welcome in the latest show of Season 61 at Spotlighters? (And if you need more Dickens in your life, beyond this hook-quote, be sure to book your tickets for the cherished annual performance of Phil Gallagher’s one-man A Christmas Carol coming this December) But this particular quote feels apropos for Outward Bound, the 100-year-old play currently on the Spotlighters stage. Written by Sutton Vane in 1923 and directed 100 years later by Erin Klarner, Outward Bound is an oddly fascinating work that bares striking relevancy to today’s world and is a refreshing change of pace to all the done-to-death musicals and stalwart-stage-chestnuts appearing else place this time of year. Witty and darkly intriguing, Outward Bound is one ship you won’t want to miss as it drifts through the staged waters of Spotlighters theatre this fall.
Sutton Vane’s play calls to question a hot-button topic (at least for reviewers in this area, in fact we were discussing it pre and post-show the night I attended the performance) of “spoilers and what do we do with them?” Titanic sinks. Jesus gets crucified. They vote for independence. These are not spoilers but known facts. But what do you do when something that seems very spoiler-y dominates most of the production? My rule of thumb, which isn’t a hard-and-fast rule but rather a guideline, is that if said spoiler is revealed within the first 15 minutes of the show…or dominates 75% or more of the show, than talking about it isn’t really a spoiler, as any audience member in attendance is going to discover this “spoiler” pretty much straight away. And while the “spoiler” for Outward Bound doesn’t come about until the 39th minute of stage traffic (shout out to Max Garner for pointing that out) it is hinted at and eluded to up until that point, and then dominates the entire rest of the production. It gets dropped at the end of the first of the first of four scenes and the other three scenes are all about it. So be forewarned, in discussing this show, the major plot-device that Sutton Vane uses in this script will be included.
While the program very clearly indicates that we’re on an Ocean Liner in 1923 and Set Designer/Scenic Artist Rob Books does a fine job of creating porthole windows with ‘views’ of the ocean water, the furnishings don’t necessarily scream early 1920’s. Neither do the costumes (by way of Elise Musciano) but they do have hints of things that nudge you to that decade, more so in Musciano’s work than in Books’, but all’s fair in love and war in community theatre and there weren’t any overly obvious modern features no cell phones or glaring present-day-garb. And the performances, for the most part, were solid enough that you’d easily overlook the slight ambiguity of the setting and the costumes.
What’s surprisingly impressive for this production, as it’s a British play and clearly every person on-board the ship is meant to have been departing from the jolly good land of London, is the accents. Accents are a mixed bag, particularly if there’s no professional training or coaching involved as is often the case in community theatre. But for this production, Sam David (an actual Brit) has been assigned the role of dialect coach and it seems to make all the difference. There’s greater consistency across the nine performers with their varying degrees of British-classism in this production than is generally experienced in community theatre when it comes to accents. And most of the actors not only convincingly deliver these accents but they maintain them with metered consistency, save for one or two instances where the accents disappear into the emotions of the actor. (This is particularly the case with the Lingley character whose accent goes up the chimney in a puff of rage every time the character has a tantrum. But the actor is so emotionally invested in those moments that you readily forgive the vocal slip.)
You get excellent use of the theater’s new lighting system, by way of Lighting Designer Jen Sizer, who has finessed the balance between basic interior lighting and mood lighting for effect. It doesn’t feel over dramatized and yet there are moments when flares of light are used to indicate very specific events. Sizer makes use of these ‘specials’ closer to the end of the production, when the “examiner” arrives on board and ‘final relegations’ are made.
Wearing enough hats to be a hat-rack, Director Erin Klarner doubles up as both Audio Designer and Fight Choreographer. And while there’s only one on-deck tussle, it happens with believability, lending authenticity to that heightened moment of exasperation between characters. Klarner’s audio design is also quite effective (though the drums are still a bit confusion, I suspect that’s scribbled into the script as a stage direction and rather unavoidable), particularly when it comes to the horn-blast of pulling in and out of port. As far as her direction goes, she keeps the pacing at a clip. There are a few exchanges here and there, (especially during the seemingly unending exposition of the play, which is nearly the entire first scene,) where things could be tighter. This seems to happen most often with the Mrs. Cliveden-Banks character, though its difficult to tell whether she’s lost in the text or if she’s trying to create this sense of being “lost”, which is somewhat integral to the initial confusion set down onto the characters. This is a thematic problem or a directorial problem, again difficult to tell. All of the characters, with the exception of Scrubby, are struggling with memory. Trying to remember why they’re on the boat or where they’re going, and none of them are quite sure. And in several instances the scenes where this comes up doesn’t read clearly. It’s very difficult to tell if they’re portraying being confused or actually confused, and I couldn’t say if a different directorial approach would have made it better or if the script is beyond redemption or if some of the actors were just truly muddled. What I can say is it doesn’t read cleanly and succinctly as “wholly functioning characters who are experiencing confusion.”
But as this quickly passes and the characters discover their fate (that all of them have died, are in fact dead, and are on the boat to either salvation or damnation because like all good things in life, that boat swings both ways) and pacing of dialogue exchanges, for the most part, resumes at a healthy speed. The show’s other major issue is a lack of volume control. While this isn’t an issue for some, it is a constant problem for Ann (Kate Crosby) and Henry (Will Beckstrom.) It appears that Crosby and Beckstrom are caught-up in the ‘secrecy’ and ‘intimacy’ of their two characters’ relationship, forgetting that ‘whispers’ can’t actually be whispered and ‘intimate moments’ still need to be heard by the audience. This is a shame because Beckstrom’s character has quite the confession near the end of the performance, nearly all of which is lost to his lack of volume. There are others, though far less frequently, that struggle with this issue throughout the performance, though mostly only in more emotionally subdued instances.
Taking up the role of the ship’s steward, Richard Peck makes a most admirable Scrubby. Ironically enough, this character is of the utmost importance to the plot and yet gingerly percolates in the background. Mostly. There are of course, direct interactions with the various characters, but it would be easy to dismiss the character as a ‘background player’ but Peck brings a steadiness to the role; even when you’re not meant to feel like he’s there, you feel him, watching, almost like a hybrid between a Virgil and a Charon but with a serving-class British accent. He maintains his subservience, especially when being addressed by Mrs. Cliveden-Banks (Jane E. Nitsch, who flaunts her airs and haughty graces with quite a seasoned hand.)
With a great deal of emotionally bombastic aplomb, the character of Lingley (Andrew Syropoulos) is far from the sort you’d want to ingratiate yourself with if you were to find yourself aboard this ocean liner. Syropoulos plays the character with vigor and vivacity that is so intense it often overcomes his attempt at a British accent, but he’s so emotionally engaged with the fury and frustration that the Lingley character has that you can’t fault him for sliding away from the affected delivery. Physically engaging as well as mindfully present of his physicality on stage, Syropoulos engages the audience almost effortlessly, even if his character is most disagreeable and rather dislikable.
The exact opposite can be said for the character of Reverend Duke (B. Thomas Rinaldi.) Quite amiable, affable, and all-around tolerable if not wholly well-liked…at least by everyone who isn’t Mrs. Cliveden-Banks. Rinaldi plays the character with a straight-forwardness, not so abrupt as to be relegated to the ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ category, but with more of a sense of liturgical honesty. When the situation changes and the great discovery is uncovered to be truth, Rinaldi loosens the character’s collar and tongue considerably, making him rather humorous as the show progresses through the third scene.
Enter Tom Howley. Talk about your ace in the hole and saving a show-stopping, scene-stealing glittering gem until late in the game! Tom Howley, as Reverend Thomson, is dazzling. Literally bursting onto the scene with vocal and physical energy ready to rock-down the load-baring-support columns that box in the stage, Howley is almost god-like in his entrance. Filled with wit, charm, grace, and a swift sense of judgement, he’s marvelous to watch in action. Even though he doesn’t make his entrance until late in the second act, it’s one well-worth remembering and his portrayal of this enigmatic character is astonishing.
Cheeky of tongue and thoroughly versed in the working class hard-cockney-style accent, Sam David (who also, mercifully, serves as the show’s Dialect Coach & Consultant) takes up the role of a charwoman, Mrs. Midget. David even brings a sense of realism to the stage— watch her knitting whilst the await the progressive events at the top of the act two! There is almost a quietness to David’s portrayal, though when the character is called onto speak you can hear every blessed word without question. Snarky and humorous but with unrivaled emotional versatility when it comes to the shift in her character’s arch, David is an impressive asset to add to the performance.
Can one travel to the grave in the bottle? The answer is most assuredly yes. Just ask Tom Prior (Brad Harris Purtill) if you don’t believe me. Holding the best and most consistent accent of the performance (Sam David notwithstanding, though she is actually British) and delivering a mercurial array of emotions from the beginning to the end, Purtill is impressive and well-suited for the role. Acting as an excellent driving course that keeps the ship (and by proxy the overall pacing of the performance) on course, Purtill is fully present and deeply steeped in the nuance of his character, even when the character has been deeply steeped in way too much whiskey. With a smart sense of comic timing, which is showcased well in the second act, Purtill finds the balance between high humors and more morose moments of melancholy. He is introspective and wholly invested in the dramatic roller-coaster his character rides, peppering the excursion with bouts of hilarity every step of the way.
A most unique approach to a century-old play; Outward Bound toes the line of a morality play that is also oddly charming, quite humorous, and deeply mysterious. You won’t want to miss your chance to catch this production before it sets sail.
Running Time: approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission
Outward Bound plays through November 12th 2023 at The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre— 817 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-1225 or purchase them online.
