Fine Arts Montreal Theatre

The Graduate – from screen to stage

 

Abby Elizabeth for CurtainsUp.TV

Most of us are familiar with Mike Nichols 1967 film ‘the graduate.’  Which is about a young, graduate student (Benjamin Braddock) who is seduced by an older married woman: (Mrs. Robinson) the ultimate and probably the first celebrated ‘cougar.’ However, Braddock soon falls for Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine and drama ensues.

In 2000 the film was adapted into a stage play. One that quickly garnered the attention of media; thanks to Kathleen Turner, Jason Biggs, Alicia Silverstone, Jerry Hall and a slew of other celebrities who starred in the incestuous love triangle made up of Mrs. Robinson, Benjamin and Elaine. Extra scenes and music were added but the plot remained the same.

Andrew Shaver’s adaptation is a modernized version of Webb’s story. Unfortunately this reconstruction destroys the original narrative.  The themes become muddled and the satirical, poignant elements such as disillusionment, self-entitlement, failure and finding ones ‘true’ nakedness take a backseat to new schemes like millennialism and substance abuse and other surface issues.

It would have been better if the play delved into the Mrs. Robinson/Mr. Robinson storyline a bit more and dug up all the unsaid issues in the film and novel. Aging, lost youth, abandonment etc… A different perspective suited to a different era would have created a much more interesting viewpoint. Instead we are caught up in youthful rebellion and are manipulated into seeing adulthood as prisonhood. Society has changed a whole lot since the late sixties and Shaver’s reproduction does not represent this.

Bridgette Robinson, who plays Mrs. Robinson, gives an outstanding performance, outshining just about every actor on that stage. In fact Robinson is the only person  really worth mentioning. She literally and bravely ‘bares all” and is an exceptional talent. Luke Humphrey’s portrayal of Benjamin Braddock was unimpressive. It was not bad but it wasn’t good either. At times the dialogue seemed a bit rushed and the words were poorly articulated. The actors timing was bad as well, there was no real flow.

Georgia Beaty played the character of Elaine Robinson with much more personality then her film counterpart. However, she too at times seemed as though she were just reverberating the lines she had memorized. There was not enough emotion. More often than not Humphrey and Beaty looked and sounded as though they were just going through the motions. Alain Goulem gave the second best performance of the night as Mr. Robinson- the jilted spouse.  Goulem’s stand out scene is the confrontation between him and Humphrey’s Benjamin during the second act.

In the film the audience is cheering for Benjamin the dim-witted, clean cut all American no nothing to get the girl and win.  Ultimately Benjamin’s win ends up feeling like a loss. We are left with these feelings of emptiness and uncertainty; a very realistic representation of young adults as they struggle to go out into the world and prosper.

The question of “what now” echo Elaine and Benjamin’s silence as they sit awkwardly in the back of their escape bus in the film’s final scene. Ben has ‘saved’ Elaine from what would have been a loveless marriage on her wedding day.  The two have managed to escape a predictable future for an uncertain one, but the problem is that they are unsure-which outcome is scarier?

In the movie it looks as if they are in the midst of realizing that the only thing that bonded them together was a mutual dislike of Mrs. Robinson and an illogical need to rebel. Now they are stuck driving to some unknown destination together, while the initial adrenaline rush comes to an unsatisfying halt. We the viewers are left feeling somewhat sad for the two because we know that their actions were mainly done out of boredom and spite-not love.

In Shaver’s version, we get a happier superfluous ending, one that gives the audience closure. It ensures that Elaine had made the right decision and that Benjamin is not as insensitive and fickle as he seems.

By changing the ending Shaver has erased the complexity of Webb’s message.  This newer version creates a couple who is no longer lost; why:  Because they have each other… It becomes a quirky Rom-com (romantic comedy) that indulges the delusion that love fixes everything. Perhaps there is comedy in that, if so Shaver holds true to some of Webb’s satire.

The set design and costumes is what really captured the tumultuous times of the late sixties. There was a blend of Heavy furniture, shades of brown, muted tones. The outfits created a hippy-ish surplus of over the top clashing ensembles- An ugly fashion statement that rebelled and repelled 1950s conservatism. James Lavoie, Susana Vera and Martin Sirois did a magnificent job at capturing the era.

One modernization that improved the quality of the play was the use of projections and lighting.  What a smart and imaginative way to create a live movie montage! The music was great as well and musicians Justin Rutledge and Matthew Barber are extremely talented.

If you are big fan of the 67’ film, The Segal Center’s version of The graduate may not be what you expect. There are a few plot twists. However, a lot of the dialogue is the same and the music re-creates the film’s limbo like atmosphere.

You can catch performances of The Graduate at The Segal Center up until September 21st. 2014.

http://www.segalcentre.org

 

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