Mask & Mirror: Reflections on Mental Illness

Dwayne Thurnau, Les Ico, Kerry Kehoe, Ted Schroeder

By Tina Arth

Mask & Mirror’s The Boys Next Door by playwright Tom Griffin is a bit risky – a play that premiered in the mid-1980s and utilizes language of the era (e.g. “retarded”) about the mentally ill and developmentally delayed may sound insensitive to modern audiences. Contemporary theater groups presenting this work need to tread cautiously to avoid charges of callousness and mockery in asking us to sometimes laugh as they tell the story of four men with various mental challenges sharing a group home in Boston. Mask & Mirror Director Gary Romans has taken this dictum to heart, and the theatrical troupe’s current production generally avoids the potential pitfalls.

The story revolves around change (and, conversely, the absence of change) in the lives of the main characters – the home’s four residents and their social worker. At one extreme we have Lucius, an adult man who will never achieve the intellect of a 5 year old, but who clearly shares the same human need for attention and respect as any other person. At the other end of the spectrum is Barry, who really doesn’t belong in the group home at all – he is schizophrenic, but in no way intellectually delayed, and his life changes the most dramatically (and tragically) of the five men. The charming, chubby Norman, while clearly mentally challenged, is capable of working a low-level job in a doughnut shop, and he illustrates unexpected growth through his relationship with his girlfriend, Sheila. Arnold has developed intellectually to a modestly functional level, but his uncontrolled anxiety and OCD leave him unable to survive in the outside world. Finally, there’s social worker Jack, with problems of his own – he cares deeply for his charges, but is completely burnt out, planning to switch careers and be a travel agent. Through a series of vignettes over a few months, the audience learns to empathize with and care about this group of damaged men, even as we accept our powerlessness to change their lives.

The cast members deliver generally fine performances, but there are a few standouts and a few truly shining moments. As schizophrenic Barry, Mark Putnam delivers a carefully crafted character arc, revealing the troubled spirit behind his con-man façade so gradually that we are a bit stunned when, preparing for and enduring his father’s visit, he devolves into a convincingly catatonic state. Les Ico brings a consistent and believable childishness to Lucius – there’s a small but essential gap between playing a little boy and playing an adult with the mind of a child, and Ico never strays near this perilous edge. The brief monologue where Lucius briefly speaks in the voice of an adult gives a moving view into the pain of his trapped mind, and Ico’s ability to slide in and out of this moment is riveting.

The two women in the cast have some wonderful moments, too. Laurie Monday fills three roles, but it is as the profoundly disabled Clara, slack-jawed yet plagued with tics and terror, that she really shows what she can do. As girlfriend Sheila, Lalanya Gunn brings the awkwardness and impulsivity of a child to the charming relationship with Dwayne Thurnau’s Norman, and the moment when Norman gives Sheila her own ring of keys is a thing of beauty.

Two problem areas on opening night could be ameliorated. Ted Schroeder’s performance as Arnold sometimes seems to stray over the line from homage to parody, and I think the audience’s ability to appreciate the dignity of his character (to laugh with, not at, him) would be enhanced if he reeled in his overt physical and vocal mannerisms a bit. Also, scene changes were a bit clunky – in a show with many vignettes, these transitions need to be as smooth as possible.

The show is dedicated to veteran Mask & Mirror actor Michael Allen, who definitely would have been in the show had he not lost his battle with cancer. I enjoyed several moments of contemplation as I watched the play, imaging how Michael would have handled several different roles. It is a fitting homage to Michael that the cast and crew have worked so hard to give the audience a complex and challenging evening.

Mask & Mirror’s The Boys Next Door runs Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm through March 24th at “The Stage” at Calvin Church, 10445 SW Canterbury Lane, Tigard, 97224.