In the Michigan premier of Sharr White’s Annapurna, the Purple Rose Theatre brought their usual finesse to the production. An intense 80 minute drama performed with no intermission, Annapurna follows the first reunion of Emma (MichelleMountain) and her ex-husband Ulysses (Richard McWilliams) after 20 years of separation.
Performed on a thrust stage, the set was visible to the audience from the moment the doors opened. Bratley Bauer’s set was aptly designed and was able to survive the additional scrutiny which such a set up invites. Complete with a shower and sink (both of which used running water) Ulysses’ trailer was depicted in a state of squalor including stained carpets and a dingy couch which, upon Emma’s arrival, was covered with a towel to allow for her to sit on a cleanly surface.
A two person play, Annapurna requires two strong actors in order to maintain the interest of the audience throughout the entire performance. Veterans of the theater Mr. McWilliams and Ms. Mountain were well up to the task. The relationship between Ulysses and Emma is extremely complicated, resulting in seemingly calm conversations exploding into yelling matches almost instantaneously. These immediate switches were, in general, very natural and motivated – an impressive accomplishment on the part of both of the actors.
As lines were tossed back and forth in quick succession Mr. McWilliams shined. His pacing was spot on, delivering his lines with a naturalistic bent and allowing the audience just enough time to comprehend the contextual meaning before moving on to the next thought. His performance suffered only one misstep in the delivery of his monologue while Emma was in the shower. During this monologue Mr. McWilliams lost control of the pacing, resulting in unrelated thoughts to be strung together and added a rushed quality to the scene. Ms. Mountain strength lied in her delivery of her monologues but occasionally suffered from bad diction when her character became agitated resulting in one or two dropped lines.
Often, the quality of theater can be determined by the effect which a performance has on its audience. By this measure, Guy Sanville’s production of Annapurna was a superbly directed show which truly earned the applause of the audience. While I did not personally connect with the story of Annapurna, there were many in the audience who did and I was one of the few patrons that left the theater without reaching for a tissue. Annapurna will run until December and I highly recommend that you make time to see this remarkable production.
