Theater

Sarab Kamoo and Naz Edwards in "The Blank Page" at The Jewish Ensemble Theatre. Photo: Yakov Faytlin

JET lets go with fine season opener

By Donald V. Calamia

Originally printed 10/22/2009 (Issue 1743 - Between The Lines News)

When asked what show I was looking forward to most this month, the answer was the world premiere of "The Blank Page" by Kitty Dubin at The Jewish Ensemble Theatre. For several reasons.

For starters, a previous premiere by the playwright, "Coming of Age," was reportedly one of JET's most successful shows ever - and one can't help but wonder if lightning really CAN strike twice. And then there was the show's pedigree: How often do you get the opportunity to see some of the best professional talent Michigan has to offer - Sarab Kamoo, Naz Edwards and John Lepard - together on the same stage, with award-winning director Gillian Eaton at the helm? (Not often enough!)

But more importantly was the pink elephant in the center of the theater on opening night: How well would JET recover from a somewhat inconsistent 2008-09 season and this summer's rancorous departure of its founder and long-time artistic director?

The answer was quite obvious by the time the houselights came up after the conclusion of the second act.

Everything about "The Blank Page" is first rate, from Monika Essen's smartly conceived two-level set to Elaine Hendriks Smith's mood-enhancing lights. And the scene changes were quick, slick and well executed.

But it was the marriage between script and actors that grabbed the audience on opening night and never let go.

Dubin's tale is a human drama faced by modern-day families all across America. When faced with the every-day pressures of work and family, and the drive (and ego) to succeed becomes an overwhelming passion, what - or who - suffers most?

In "The Blank Page," a (so far) one-hit wonder is faced with a looming deadline to finish her next novel - because if she doesn't, her already-extended contract will be canceled. As the fear of failure keeps Amy Kaplan from completing her second book, her day job as a college professor becomes more complicated by the arrival of Alex Malone, a promising graduate student who begs Amy to become her mentor. How does the added pressure impact Amy's professional, personal and family lives - especially when Alex secretly submits her own novel to Amy's publisher, and it's immediately accepted for publication?

Dubin, who coincidentally teaches playwriting at Oakland University, excels at exploring the human spirit. All four characters in "The Blank Page" have their own unique weaknesses, strengths, desires and faults, and when their separate life experiences, goals and passions collide, Dubin's power as a wordsmith shines. For what she reveals is equally about us in the audience as it about the characters on stage.

Also revealing are the fine performances by Eaton's cast.

Kamoo works through Amy's increasingly deteriorating emotional state with precision. And Lepard, as her husband, Danny, is her equal at capturing the ability to simultaneously hear and not hear what his wife is trying to tell him. (What was somewhat surprising, however, was Danny's rather earthy dialogue that runs contrary to the image most people have of a rabbi. Does it help define his humanness? Or does it make him a hypocrite?)

JET newcomer Leslie Ann Handelman nicely walks the fine line demanded of Alex: Is she simply a determined young woman who will do or say anything to obtain her ultimate goal? Or is she a serious student looking for a mentor?

Finally, much of the show's humor comes from the delightful performance of Naz Edwards as Amy's friend and college coworker, Joy. Still traumatized by a divorce three years earlier, Joy has sworn off men - until a phone call from and a coffee date with 70-something Mort changes her tune. (What also changes between acts is Edwards. Never did I imagine that the usually gorgeous Edwards could ever look like a frump, but she does in the first act! And what a difference an intermission makes!)

REVIEW:

'The Blank Page'

The Jewish Ensemble Theatre at Aaron DeRoy Theatre on the campus of the Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple Rd., West Bloomfield. Wednesday-Sunday (except Friday) through Nov. 8. $28-$36. 248-788-2900. http://www.jettheatre.org