By Jared F. Cranke

Publisher

“Are you trying to be as human as you can be?” Morrie Schwartz asks that question of his life-long student, Mitch Albom, in the true-life play Tuesdays with Morrie being presented by Town & Gown Theatre which opens February 18, 2010.

Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Albom, based on the bestselling autobiography by Albom, tells the story of an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Schwartz, his former college professor. Sixteen years after graduation, Albom happens to catch Schwartz’s appearance on a television news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Albom is reunited with Schwartz and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.

Director Susan Weber leads the small cast in this powerful production which runs February 18-21 and 25-28, 2010 at Town & Gown Theatre, 3524 South Perkins Road. Weber has previously directed Amatuers and Seeing Stars in Dixie and saw this play as a welcome treat for the regular patrons of Town & Gown Theatre.

“It was a play that as I read it, I didn’t immediately start thinking of who could play which character,” says Weber. “I just knew it was  a well-written play and that our patrons would enjoy it.”

Besides the book and play, there is also a TV movie of the same name, produced by Oprah Winfrey, starring Jack Lemmon, in his final credited film role, and Hank Azaria. Weber had neither seen the film nor read the book before stumbling upon the play during her search for something new to direct, but has since done both noting their subtle differences.

“It is interesting that they each tell the same story but in a different time line,” adds Weber. “They are different in small ways.”

Only two characters take the stage during this show and Weber chose to rely on fairly new faces at Town & Gown for both heavily improtant roles. Jason Watts plays the role of Albom and Kim Young makes his Town & Gown debut as Schwartz. Weber says the actors fit her ideas of the characters.

“I also liked having new faces,” she added. “They bring a new dimension to the show being new to Town & Gown.”

Although Watts has only been around Town & Gown since July of last year, he has been involved with theatre most of his adult life. Watts earned a BFA in Theatre Direction from Loyola Marymount University and has acted regularly for over 15 years, mostly in the Tulsa area. Recently, he has discovered the rewards that come from teaching theatre. He is also one of the founding members of the Cueless Improv Comedy Troupe that was formed at Town & Gown late last year. The balance between improv and scripted drama is a challenge Watts faces.

“With Cueless my focus is on writing a scene that I am currently acting,” Watts explains. “It is intense and a lot of fun. With a scripted role my focus shifts to understanding the playwright’s intentions and communicating those through the character. I have a lot of fun with this process as well. I have found that acting in a comedy versus a drama is similar. Bringing out the dynamics of the written character is the actor’s job. Whether the audience laughs or cries is between the playwright and the audience. The actor is a middle man, as I see it, in this regard.”

The play depends heavily on the relationship between student and teacher and Weber says both actors are doing a good job of establishing and maintaining their apparent friendship. Watts agrees that his castmate has allowed him to trust the character.

“Kim has been a great partner in this,” Watts says. “He has been able to communicate Morrie’s wisdom and emotion amazingly well. I trust him completely.”

It seems that trust is the backbone of Watts’ philosophy about acting in general. Having only two people to carry an entire play, the actors face the struggles of “filling the space” rather than depending on a large cast to keep the story moving.

“Filling the space is an actor’s lesson to learn and keep learning,” Watts says. “I find that staying focused on the moment at hand, relaxing and trust all work together to make that happen.”

Town & Gown Theatre’s small, in-the-round arena also lends itself easily to the intimacy of the play. Weber has a simple set which seems to be the way the playwright intended.

“The stage is actually divided into two areas,” Weber explains. “One area is Morrie’s house and the other is used mostly by Mitch as he tells the story of their relationship. The intimate setting of theatre in the round makes this play even more personal. It allows the audience to feel that they are part of the story. The stage areas will also be defined by the lighting.”

This will be the first show to showcase some new light controllers recently purchased by Town & Gown after a recent failure and subsequent evacuation of the theatre during a performance of The Hound of the Baskervilles last September. After smelling smoke in the light booth, which is situated above the stage over the main entrance to the arena, the stage crew stopped the play suddenly and moved everyone -- cast, crew and audience -- outside. A few minutes later, the play concluded outside living up to the motto, “The show must go on.”

The drama does deal with some themes of life and death in serious ways but also with a touch of humor. Weber says the overall message of the play is that “we should each live life to the fullest.”

“The play uses humor to deal with the fact that we all will die, what’s important is how we choose to live,” she adds. “To borrow a line from the play, we should ask ourselves ‘Are you at peace with yourself? Are you trying to be as human as you can be?’ We should not take life for granted.”

Weber is also aware that the story has a large, faithful following, since it has been a national bestseller, a critically-acclaimed stage play and a well-known television movie, but thinks this production will still move audiences.

“I think those who have read the book or seen the movie will enjoy the play,” Weber says. “If people don’t have knowledge about Tuesdays with Morrie, they will still enjoy this play about the meaning of life.”

Tickets for Tuesdays with Morrie go on sale Monday, February 15, at the Town & Gown Theatre box office. Tickets are only $10 for adults and $8 for students. Seniors can also attend the Sunday matinee for only $8. The show will run for two weekends Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:30pm. Reservations can be made by calling (405) 372-9122. For more information about Town & Gown Theatre, please visit their official website at www.townandgown.org.