Milwaukee Chamber Theatre presents the Milwaukee premiere of Tom Stoppard’s comic drama, Heroes. It offers a heartwarming, thoughtful and humorous alternative to the traditional holiday fare playing in town.
The play first opened in London in 2005 and made its American debut in 2007 in Los Angeles. The L.A. production featured a distinguished cast -- Len Cariou, George Segal and Richard Benjamin --- playing three war veterans in the remaining days of their lives. Milwaukee’s production features a no less distinguished cast, with three male actors who are well-known to local audiences. Dan Mooney plays Philippe, who has shrapnel embedded in his head from the war. It causes him to frequently pass out. Richard Halverson is Gustave, perhaps the physically fittest of the three. However, his acts of legendary heroism during the war are far behind him. He is an emotionally shattered man who rarely leaves his room. Robert Spencer plays the optimistic Henri, who lost a partial limb in the war. The play is set in central France in 1959, and it follows this eccentric trio who live in an old-soldier’s home. The play is adapted from a work by Gerald Sibleyras.
There is much to admire about Heroes, including the genuine moments of humor involving the interaction between these old coots. However, the play is not in the league of Stoppard’s better-known works, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which won a Tony Award for Best Play in 1968, and The Real Thing, which starred Jeremy Irons in its original Broadway production. Notably, Stoppard also collaborated on the screenplay for the 1999 hit film, “Shakespeare in Love.” Heroes won a Laurence Olivier Best New Comedy Award in 2006.
In every respect, Heroes appears to be a much simpler play than Stoppard’s aforementioned ones. It doesn’t try to sketch out complete biographies of its three characters. (We learn about the men in bits and pieces throughout the play.) We know little about what roles they played in combat, too. Instead, Stoppard focuses on the here and now. He shows us their cantankerous natures. They squabble almost constantly as they sit on a sunlit terrace behind the faded walls of their home. However, their need for each other is evident, too.
The terrace gives them a view of a cemetery (a constant reminder of death) and a hillside topped by waving poplars. As the men describe the poplars, in addition to the lovely grounds that surround the veterans’ home, their dialogue borders on the poetic. The key development in Heroes is an improbable escape plan to “free” them from the confines of their surroundings. Each character’s oddity brings an opportunity for humor. Philippe is convinced that a diminutive nun is ready to eliminate “duplicate” veterans if she discovers that two residents have the same birthday. Gustave takes a fancy to a large stone dog sitting on the terrace. He insists that the dog accompany them during their escape. Henri makes forays into the neighboring town and is delighted to discover it contains a young girl’s school. He becomes smitten with the headmistress, though he never works up the courage to ask the woman his name. It is these anecdotal encounters – rather than the “escape plan” – that form the substance of Heroes. And still, given the play’s constant reminders that death is never far away, Stoppard invokes poignant moments along with the humorous ones.
Although all three actors are delightful to watch, Richard Halverson (as Gustave) is perhaps the most pivotal actor. Halverson appears to have gained a balance between acceptance and denial. He remembers with pride the man he once was and tries not to be overly embarrassed by his physical and emotional decline. Dan Mooney is always a welcome presence onstage, and he creates a funny, sympathetic character in the role of Philippe.
Robert Spencer, however, is more problematic as Henri. He tends to display a more heightened emotional sense and exaggerated facial expressions than the others. It throws the dramatic rhythm slightly out of whack. But this is not all Spencer’s fault. One must take artistic director C. Michael Wright to task for failing to create a more seamless acting style.
The production elements are top-notch across the board. The multi-level, staggered set of the old-soldier’s home is architecturally gorgeous. A mossy stone terrace extends from the building’s façade. As for the costumes, the men wear slightly rumpled sports jackets over knit sweaters, dress slacks and polished leather shoes. The clothing appears serviceable, but far from new. The set is bathed in a lovely, soft light that varies based on the time of day.
