BCT’s Charming, Family-Friendly Ramona Quimby

Isabelle Riley and Riley Suzuki

By Tina Arth

Beaverton Civic Theatre is definitely playing to the hometown crowd with their first main stage production of the year. Playwright Len Jenkin’s 1994 Ramona Quimby, based on the beloved books by Beverly Cleary, is firmly rooted in the mean streets of Portland – the fictional Quimby family lives on NE Klickitat Street, and there are even statues of some of the principal characters in nearby Grant Park (definitely time for a field trip!). The play basically falls into the genre of children’s theater (there are lots of roles for kiddos, and the story line is definitely aimed at a preteen/tween audience), but the script encompasses themes that can appeal to an all-age audience, and there is room for some important adult roles. Playing to a mixed audience demands balance, since adults tend to be portrayed differently when a show is aimed at children, and director Amanda Clark has generally succeeded in picking the right actors and guiding them through the process.

The play is set, as mentioned, in an actual Portland neighborhood, and takes place over a one-year period in the 1970s. The central characters are 8 year-old Ramona Quimby and her big sister Beezus, who in classic older-sister fashion considers Ramona a complete pest. The events are localized to the Quimby family, the elementary school, and immediate neighborhood; the situations should ring true to anyone who has ever occupied the role of parent, older, or younger sibling. The bright but quirky Ramona constantly gets into trouble as she deals with an unemployed father who is trying to quit smoking, a “perfect” third-grade rival who steals her ideas, a judgmental teacher, teasing from a tone-deaf adult, the unfairness of life as a little sister, changes in her relationship with her beloved Aunt Bea, and a host of other seemingly trivial problems that loom very large in the life of a small girl. In the end, Beezus and Ramona find comfort in each other’s presence as life swirls around them.

Students, mostly in elementary school, make up about half of the 20-person cast, including the two most challenging roles. Riley Suzuki (Beezus) is already a veteran actor, last seen at BCT playing Pugsley in The Addams Family. She is confident in her role as narrator, and especially believable in her interactions (both positive and negative) with her frustrating but ultimately loveable little sister. The surprise standout, however, is Isabelle Riley as Ramona. Isabelle is no stranger to BCT – not only has she played a few ensemble roles, but she has spent a lot of her young life hanging out at the theater with her mom, Producing Artistic Director Melissa Riley. Isabelle’s performance as Ramona makes it clear that during those long hours in the auditorium, she wasn’t just hanging out – she was watching how theater works and studying the fine points of really playing a role. I was amazed at the consistency of Isabelle’s performance – quite simply, she never stops acting, and uses her face, voice and body to completely inhabit her character.

In addition to the to principals, a few other performers demand special recognition. Michael Rouches (Mr. Quimby) straddles the fine line between acting for children and realistically portraying adult situations, and he draws the audience emotionally into the challenge of dealing with adult crises while reassuring his daughters. Les Ico’s “Elephant” is predictably hilarious, but it is his portrayal of Bea’s fiancé Hobart that really shines as he mercilessly teases Ramona – and displays a delightful lack of inhibition when displaying his questionable singing voice. Among the ensemble, Emma Resk’s “waitress” is particularly memorable – I hope to see more of this young woman.

Ramona Quimby is structured as a long series of mostly short vignettes, necessitating frequent scene changes. The set design is detailed – perhaps too much so, as the wheeled panels are awkward to move and don’t always line up well for viewing from the periphery of the audience. Scenic Artist Loren Hillman-Morgan has created a wonderful backdrop portraying a map of Portland, and the show might have flowed more seamlessly if some of the set details had been left up to the audience’s imagination, as was done in BCT’s production of Knuffle Bunny. However, this minor quibble is no reason to stay away from a fun production, which will work best if you go with a kiddo or two but still provides a solid community theater experience for adult audiences.

Beaverton Civic Theatre’s production of Ramona Quimby runs through Saturday, March 14^th at the Beaverton City Library Auditorium, with 7:30 pm shows on Friday and Saturday and a 2:00 pm matinee on Sunday.