Leaving Iowa Review from the OC Register

Leaving Iowa had a fascinating opening night last Saturday at the Laguna Playhouse. Here is the review from the OC Register.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/clue-manton-laguna-2230420-playhouse-don

'Leaving Iowa' will leave you with conflicted feelings
Review: Poignant play combines laughs, big issues at Laguna Playhouse.
By PAUL HODGINS
The Orange County Register
Comments 0 Recommend 5

Who among us has never experienced that special purgatory called the family vacation?
Ah, the memories: Long, tedious car trips to nowhere or, worse, the home of hated relatives; promising roadside attractions that fail to deliver; back-seat fights. "I'll give you something to cry about!" was a phrase coined during such times.

It's a wonder that nobody thought of turning this fertile field into theater before Tim Clue and Spike Manton seized upon it. The result, "Leaving Iowa," is a lightweight but funny and often poignant then-and-now tale, making its West Coast debut at the Laguna Playhouse after a successful life in the Midwest.

Don (Kevin Symons) is a Boston journalist who has returned to his childhood home in Winterset, Iowa facing a grim task. He didn't make it to his father's funeral, and now, three years later, he's come to dispose of dad's ashes. Getting sprinkled on the homestead where he grew up was the old man's only request, and it's a family embarrassment that the urn still resides in the basement. Don's sister (Erin Bennett) finds it only after hours of searching.

After receiving elaborate instructions from his mom (Jill Brennan) about how to drive dad's wheezy old car, Don makes the two-hour trip to his grandparents' home, only to discover their modest abode has been bulldozed; a big-box supermarket now stands in its place.
Don is floored. What should he do now with dad's remains?

Don's present-day journey is told in tandem with a series of flashback scenes. We witness the family's last trip together: a long and mishap-filled journey to Hannibal, Missouri, the birthplace of Mark Twain. Dad (Gregory North) is a schoolteacher with a passion for the minutiae of American history. No site marker is too insignificant for his lingering attention.

During the past and present trips' many unexpected detours, two busy and amusing supporting actors, JJ Rodgers and Roy Abramsohn, provide a strange gallery of characters: an overly enthusiastic Civil War re-enactor and his bored-to-death colleague; a couple of wacky mechanics; a near-mute busboy and his associate, the most talkative waitress in the world; a husband-and-wife team of lonely pig farmers whose only claim to fame is living in the geographic center of the continental U.S.

Clue and Manton have made part of their livings in standup comedy, and their script sometimes suffers as a result, as does this production, which is directed by Clue. There's an overly glib air and constantly frenetic dynamic in some scenes – qualities that can quickly wear out their welcome.

But this writing duo has a keen ear for the inherent comedy, subversive tactics and push-pull battles that characterize family relationships.

There are certain moments that had Saturday's audience nodding in recognition: a scene in which dad's passenger-seat instructions and interruptions drive mom into a seething fury behind the wheel; a wheedling episode in which Don and his sister manipulate their father into stopping at a dubious roadside attraction; dad fulminating over an elephantine RV blocking his way.
(The car scenes are presented with a big dollop of make-believe on John Berger's set, which gives us lots of atmospheric background but wisely lets the actors recreate the claustrophobic hell of automobile travel.)

And those of a certain age will sympathize with Don wanting to do right by his dad, now that it's too late for it to matter. Like so many men, Don is tortured by the knowledge that he never let his father know how much he loved and appreciated him. Don's attempt to assuage that guilt, and the journey of self-discovery that it takes him on, raise "Leaving Iowa" above the trivial.
This production features a comically gifted cast that mixes familiar with new faces.
Laguna Playhouse regular Symons nicely underplays Don. With his hangdog face and slouchy posture, Symons gives Don exactly the right mien – a middle-aged guy who's not particularly happy with the road travelled so far.

As Don's sister, Bennett has a field day projecting pre-teen hyperactivity. She's clearly an actress with vivid memories of the psychology and techniques of sibling teasing.
Brennan is the quintessential Midwestern mom, whose cautious nature and determined diplomacy tamp down some surprising passions. "She's an unstoppable helping machine," Don complains, not seeing as we do that if she didn't obsess over something her head would explode.
It's North's portrayal of the family patriarch, though, that will stay with you. He creates an instantly recognizable "regular dad" archetype: a penny pincher and schedule minder, a petty tyrant with a soft heart, a man who thinks he's in control but is often bested by his manipulative family.

North goes beyond what the role requires in the silent scenes, when dad hovers ghostlike on the margins as Don appeals to his ghost. North's gaze speaks volumes to anyone who has mid-life regrets about their departed parents. It says, "I know you loved me. Be happy. Move on with your life." That's a message worth taking home after the lights come up.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com