by Toby Cooper
Sounder contributor
Actors Theater of Orcas Island presents “The Outrageous Adventures of Sheldon and Mrs. Levine,” a two-act comedy written by Sam Bobrick and Julie Stein, and directed by Suzanne Gropper.
“Outrageous: tells the story of an overbearing mom, Doris Levine (Luann Pamatian), who drives grown son Sheldon (Woody Ciskowski) to distraction with her incessant harping. Sheldon blames his mother for breaking up his marriage and ruining his life. Mrs. Levine wonders why something so trivial should bother him. Their aggravated long-distance banter is perpetuated by a hilarious exchange of letters, enhancing the aura of dysfunctionality.
“It’s my first time directing,” said Gropper who has starred in dozens of island productions. “There are a million details every night – but bring it on! I love every minute.”
It opens at the Grange (3398 Orcas Road) for two weekends: June 30 – July 1, and July 7 and 8. Curtain is at 7:30PM. Tickets are $10 and are available at Orcasactors.org, Darvill’s Book Store and at the door on performance evenings.
Gropper’s passion is on display while she extracts the storyline from Bobrick’s chosen “reader’s theater” genre – a brand of stagecraft that presents both challenges and opportunities. As Sheldon and Doris fumble for meaningful connections through laborious, hand-written letters, Groper allows the audience to tie the missing knot between mother and son.
Playwright Bobrick – 87 when he passed in 2019 – authored over 40 plays, several together with Stein, his wife. He was fascinated by themes of ironic twists and fateful decisions. In his “The Goodbye Letters,” a suicidal man decides to write nasty letters to his ex-wife, mother, daughter, best friend, and others, blaming them for his misery. Then, when his suicide attempt fails, the infuriated recipients of his letters make the rest of his life miserable anyway.
Bobrick wrote for TV, including The Andy Griffith Show, The Smothers Brothers Show, and the teenage hit series which he created, Saved by the Bell. He was a talented songwriter, with his work recorded by Elvis Presley, Los Lobos, and others.
“Quite honestly,” he wrote on his website just months before he passed, “there is nothing more satisfying to me than to sit in an audience and listen to people laugh.” Still, Outrageous is filled with insight and enlightenment as Sheldon and Mrs. Levine seek retribution after years of mutually unfulfilling angst.
Behind Gropper, Ciskowski, and Pamatian, costumes were by stage manager Dorrie Braun; lighting and tech by Tom McDonough and Keith Light; props by Thelma McTavish; set design by Tom Fiscus, Tony Lee, Susan Hampel, and Paula Capitano; photography and advertising by Rebecca McDonough; program by Kate Hansen; with special thanks to Doug Bechtel, Craig and Lynda Sanders, Melinda Milligan, Larry Hampel, and Tom McDonough.
