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[caption id="attachment_47000" align="alignnone" width="800"] Mary McGloin, John Carlin and Diana Marbury in rehearsal for "Dead Accounts." Andrew Botsford photos.[/caption]
By Dawn Watson
Even as Dorothy Gale clicked her ruby red slippers and uttered the words, “there’s no place like home” in the classic movie version of “The Wizard of Oz,” novelist Thomas Wolfe had already written that it was one place most likely best left unrevisited.
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Mary McGloin, John Carlin, Rebecca Edana and Diana Marbury in rehearsal for "Dead Accounts."[/caption]
Expanding on these two seemingly contradictory ideas (famously penned by L. Frank Baum in 1900 and then by Mr. Wolfe a few short decades later), modern-day playwright Theresa Rebeck explores the theme of homecoming in her 2012 drama “Dead Accounts.” In her play, which the Hampton Theatre Company will stage at the Quogue Community Hall from Thursday, January 14, through Sunday, January 31, lead character Jack Leonard wrestles with his own tough realities when he escapes to his parents’ house in Cincinnati after fleeing a life in the fast line in Manhattan.
But even with unlimited resources and a desire to start with a fresh slate, the former financier, played in this production by John Carlin, is dissatisfied with where his life has taken him. Displaced by his own actions, he finds that he is a man without a place to call home. And even worse, his skeptical sister, Lorna, and pious mother, Barbra, are far too suspicious of his unexpected return to Ohio, and of his newfound wealth.
“Ultimately ‘Dead Accounts’ is about finding your true home,” says director Andrew Botsford. “It’s about a disillusioned young man who is searching for his identity, who realizes that you can’t serve two masters.”
In effect, Mr. Botsford says, Jack’s journey leads him to a scriptural-type realization; it’s impossible to serve both God and money. In this instance, virtue is represented by an innocent life in small-town Ohio while Manhattan’s mammoth financial industry stands for excess and greed.
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Peter Connolly, Mary McGloin and John Carlin in rehearsal for the Hampton Theatre Company production of "22Dead Accounts," opening in Quogue January 14.[/caption]
The darkly comic tale, which staged on Broadway in 2012 and 2013 with a cast that included Norbert Leo Butz, Katie Holmes, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer and Jayne Houdyshell, has been called a “dead-serious comedy about what happens to people who, like Jack and Lorna, wake up one morning and realize that their lives haven't lived up to their dreams” by Terry Teachout in The Wall Street Journal. Darkly drawn and deeply written, the characters in Ms. Rebeck’s play should give the East End audience plenty of food for thought.
Using her hometown as the backdrop for the action, Ms. Rebeck—the now Brooklyn-based creator of the television drama “Smash” and author of the new book “I’m Glad About You”—deftly, and oftentimes humorously, explores the themes of homecoming in this well written play, says Mr. Botsford. And the accomplished five-person cast in this particular production plays the action quite well, he adds.
Mr. Carlin, who made his debut on the Quogue stage in “Time Stands Still” last winter, was the director’s first pick for the role of Jack. “He’s everything I thought he’d be and more,” says Mr. Botsford. The show’s lead actor comes to the role with the blessing of the playwright as well, according to information provided by the director.
“I love that play, it's really both wrenching and funny,” Ms. Rebeck replied to the actor’s post on Facebook after he announced that he had earned the role of Jack. “I hope you have a good time with it.”
Veteran actor HTC Artistic Director Diana Marbury was also pre-selected for her role as Jack’s mother. “She’s exceptional,” says Mr. Botsford, who adds that HTC newcomer Mary McGloin plays Lorna, Jack’s sister. “It’s in her DNA to play this part,” he continues.
Rounding out the roles are Peter Connolly, who starred in HTC’s “Bedroom Farce,” as Phil, a high school friend of Jack’s and a possible love interest of Lorna’s—“He’s the moral fulcrum and grounding force of the play,” says Mr. Botsford—and Rebecca Edana, last seen in “Clybourne Park,” who shines as Jack’s wife, Jenny.
Citing the “wonderful … work by one of America’s finest younger American (and female) playwrights,” Hampton Theatre Company’s Executive Director Sarah Hunnewell reports that “Dead Accounts” is a true theatrical gem.
Mr. Botsford agrees.
“It’s about very real human beings who work out their problems like the way real people do in life,” he says of the comedy-filled drama. “It’s a wonderful play that reflects life back at us and it’s sure to resonate.”
“Dead Accounts” will stage for three weekends in January at the Quogue Community Hall, opening on Thursday, January 14, and continuing through Sunday, January 31. Show times are Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. A talkback with the director and actors will be held after the performance on Thursday, January 21. Special dinner and theater packages will be offered in collaboration with the Southampton, Westhampton Beach, Hampton Bays, and Quogue libraries. For reservations and additional information, visit www.hamptontheatre.org or call OvationTix at (866) 811-4111.
