'That's The Poop' may turn stomachs, but it's good for the intestines
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If the lightning storm that flickered over Flathead Lake this past Thursday night was a metaphor for the play, "That's The Poop," beware of the water.
Indeed, the play, performed by the Port Polson Players and now running through Aug. 8 (Wednesday through Sunday) at the John Dowdall Theatre on the lake in Polson, is an hour and forty-five minutes of lovable laughs and jovial jabs at a whole bunch of things, most notably, the things people put into their bodies and the process of what happens to them when they leave.
That may not sound like something a playwright would dive into. It does describe the general tone of the play that moves along at a comfortably brisk pace while finding a way at every juncture to shed light on the human being's individual eating habits, not to mention the digestive system that has to handle all of the food traffic in their bodies.
It doesn't take producer and writer Karen Lewing's work very long to get the audience on board. Once the obligatory introductions are done, the play moves into another gear, with the cast coming together in song, dance, costume (that happens in the second part, or the second "movement") and a sit-down session among each other that allows each character to display their own individual strengths while simultaneously bringing together the whole.
The play is set in a county hospital, complete with at least one of the necessary accoutrements we've come to expect in a hospital waiting room, namely, a big chart showing somebody's inner equipment, including colons and intestines.
In a performance where each of the four characters (Mavis, Beverly, Charlene and Ed) take turns in grabbing the spotlight, Mavis (Amy Knutson) is the one who commands all eyes with her voice and her stage presence, a presence augmented by her more than 25 years experience with the Port Polson Players. This grey-haired stage diva takes no prisoners when it comes to setting the tone for what's to come, figuratively speaking, of course.
As the one who is both teacher and mother-like, Mavis is the one performer whom other cast members seem to feel they can bounce things off without them coming back and slapping them down. She's the boss here, which may explain what at times seems like her being away too long at one point. But given her workload, she deserved it.
Beverly (Wendi Arnold) uses her singing talents equally well, while parlaying her genuine concern for a healthier community. In fact, when her voice seemed to take on a higher range, the clarity and strength of it stood out among the others. Not in a dominant fashion, just in a casual sound-check-kind-of-moment.
And if there is a learner among the four who doesn't come across as intimidated without being showy about it, it's Beverly. She seems to cringe at what people do to their bodies but there's no sanctimony in her bewilderment. It is what it is.
One pleasant surprise was the second movement performance of Charlene (Sarah Doyle). There is a tendency for a younger performer (she is a theatre major at the University of Montana who has joined the Port Polson Players over the past two summers) to be in awe of her fellow cast members who often have much more experience but Doyle pulls it off quite well.
In fact, while she spent most of the first part of the performance repeating rhymes and poetically carrying her character, she took it to another level vocally with some clear lyrics and one dramatic encounter with Mavis. Her vivaciousness on stage has a contagious effect, if not on her fellow cast members, certainly on the audience. Besides, how can someone not like an ear of corn, regardless of its particular metabolic methods?
As for Ed (Neal Lewing), maybe it was because he was the only male - not to mention somewhat towering over the others in the four-member cast - who could at times be tough to stomach.
Of all the characters, however, it is Ed, whose love for verbal alphabet soup is unmatched among most in his particular stage occupation. He cleverly manages to engage the audience in a very serious discussion about what we eat.
The "internal and external" manager at the County Hospital District (CHD), Ed comes across as a mix of the lanky and clumsy burglar character in "Home Alone" (played by Daniel Stern) and Jethro Bodine (Max Baer) of the 1960s hit "The Beverly Hillbillies." Like those characters, he may get on your nerves with his emphasis on every abbreviation ever imagined but the play doesn't work without him. His jovial outlook only adds to a complicated yet simplistic group of characters that only sets out to encourage healthier eating.
In the end, Ed is not so bad after all. Before the show is over, few institutions go without taking either a subtle or substantive hit.
But that's what makes this performance work. The characters are true to the point, and Karen Lewing does an admirable job of properly casting each character. Each had a command and control of their characters, and each made sure they were in sync with each other. A super cast didn't push a superstar, just super performances.
If nothing else, that's a tried and tested formula for a successful run, even if a few clouds try to get in the way.
Lovell Beaulieu is editor of the Valley Journal.
