Over the years, a close relationship has existed between the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and playwright Steven Dietz. Yankee Tavern is the ninth Dietz play produced by Milwaukee's largest theater company. It's also one of the best, thanks to an exceptionally talented cast and spot-on direction. If memory serves, only the Rep's production of Dietz's Inventing Van Gogh matches the highlights of what unfolds in the current production.
The play is set in a run-down New York tavern that is on the verge of being torn down by the city. Adam, a graduate student, recently inherited the place from his father. He vows to keep it open until the wrecking balls arrive. Bars are often the place where crazy theories preside, and Yankee Tavern is no different.
Much of the play's comedy surrounds one of the bar's regulars, Ray. This grizzled, irascible old coot is convinced that conspiracies are behind everything from Starbucks coffee to the JFK assassination. He also believes the historic moon landing was staged. His latest conspiracy theories focus on the events surrounding 9/11, an event which happened five years earlier.
If audiences chuckle at Ray's ravings, they may not be able to brush off his comments about 9/11 so easily. As Ray is going through a checklist of events that "prove" 9/11 was part of a conspiracy, he gets support from a stranger who casually slips into the bar. In as few words as possible, the stranger concurs that Ray has his facts straight. He also embellishes on some of points Ray has made, giving him some credibility. Unlike Ray, the stranger is no nut job. He also hints that Adam's father may not have died of an apparent suicide.
The play's only female cast member is Janet, Adam's fiancée. She has reluctantly joined Adam in keeping the bar open. However, her patience is starting to wear thin. She begins to doubt Adam's seriousness about the upcoming nuptials. The ever-likeable Brian Vaughn, who plays Adam, reassures her of his commitment. But his sincerity is put into question as events suggest otherwise. The play spirals from a love story into a suspenseful thriller as Adam is caught up in some of Ray's theories. Dietz's reputation for strong plotting is certainly evident as the audience hangs on every word.
As Ray, Chicago veteran actor Will Zahrn commands attention from the moment he walks onstage. This is as Dietz intends, drawing the audience into Ray's goofy world (he also talks to ghosts in the hallways above the bar). Zahrn gives Ray the perfect balance of credibility and kookiness. One never knows where Ray's mind will turn, but it sure is fun to watch.
As the more sober-sided Adam and Janet, Brian Vaughn and Marti Gobel have a pleasant chemistry that is tested during the events that follow. They freely make fun of Ray, often to his face. But Ray, unfazed, hangs in there. Since Adam's father once gave Ray a key to the bar, he orders supplies in their absence. He is the embodiment of the bar's faded charm and cozy security.
Torrey Hanson gives a strong performance as the silent stranger who may be guiding their lives in unimaginable ways. One wishes more of the play had focused on this mysterious man. Hanson drops clues about his character's past without ever following up on the details.
To the audience's dismay, the play ends on an ambiguous note. Dietz puts the burden of completing the story firmly on the audience's shoulders.
Director Sean Graney gives the play its proper tempo. His staging fills the large space with very few characters, to the point where the large theater seems intimate. He maintains the focus on what to believe, and what not to believe. Further reinforcing this vision is a beautifully detailed set and the hazy, subdued lighting one often finds in such a bar. Costumes are up to par as well.
The suspenseful Yankee Tavern grabs the audience's attention to the point where real-life concerns fade away at least for a couple of hours.
