‘Theories of the Sun’ a well-done, artistic effort

By Doug Krentzlin
Special to The Examiner 8/20/08

Michael Glenn and Jason Stiles appear in Longacre Lea's production of "Theories of the Sun." Longacre Lea WASHINGTON – Kathleen Ackerly’s annual Longacre Lea productions have been artistic oases in the dog days of summer, but this year she has upped the ante by presenting the premiere of an original work she has written herself. Co-directed by Ackerly and Jonathan Church, “Theories of the Sun” is a fascinating and amusing meditation on the Shakespearian themes of love, loss, old age and death.

Set in October 1963, the play takes place in a small hotel in France where the minuscule guest list includes great playwright Tennessee Williams (Michael Glenn) and future great playwright Tom Stoppard (Dylan Pinter). Among the other guests are a mysterious American (Jason Stiles), celebrated French diagnostician Dr. Girard (Jason Lott) and his patient Elizabeth Sweeny (Abby Wood), who has traveled there with her mother Barbara (Ackerly) in hopes of identifying her unique ailment.

Rounding out the characters are the hotel’s proprietor (Daniel Vito Siefring) and Mr. Asher (Michael John Casey), a scholar who specializes in compiling myths and folk legends about the sun. To reveal anything beyond this point would spoil the fun; suffice it to say that Ackerly’s script effort contains some wonderful surprises worthy of “The Twilight Zone.”

Longacre Lea veterans Ackerly, Lott, Stiles, Wood and Casey all give their customarily first-rate performances. The same goes for relative newcomers Pinter and Siefring. The standout, however, is Glenn’s remarkable portrait of a grieving, melancholy (and more than a little pickled) Williams, which admirably manages to avoid caricature or sentimentality.

The play’s only serious flaw is its length; at three hours it is just too long, especially as the last 45 minutes tend to drag. With some judicious trimming, the same story could be told in a couple of hours without sacrificing the script’s complexity.

Still, for a first-time effort at writing a feature-length work, “Theories of the Sun” is an impressive accomplishment. Ackerly, her ensemble and her technical crew have much to be proud of.

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