A.U.T.C Presents "The Boys Next Door" and REVIEW

REVIEW February 28th 2010

This play, performed in Goppert Theatre at Avila University, was a touching comedy about four mentally handicapped men living together in the Stonehenge Villa Apartments. The characters, Norman, Arnold, Lucien, and Barry all live together in this apartment attempting to live “normal” lives with the aid of Jack, their social worker.

Norman, played by Michael Hudgens, works at a doughnut shop where his co-workers give him the left over doughnuts to take home; and he takes them gladly. Lucien, played by Wil Andrews-Weiss, is severely mentally handicapped, and the state is trying to take away his funding because they feel that he can be integrated into the mainstream. Barry, played by Ben Auxier, is schizophrenic and thinks he is a golf pro; he also has trouble communicating with his father, and for good reason. Arnold, played by Lyle Uttley, is a nervous man who works in a movie theatre. He eventually becomes the target of bullying by a co-worker, and he is obsessed with all things Russian. Finally, Jack, played by Richard Weber, is the social worker sent to care for these four gentlemen and help them with their daily tasks that they have trouble completing on their own.

Jack loves these four men, and feels that they deserve better than he can give them. He becomes torn between continuing to take care of these men, and finding another job to keep his sanity.

Throughout the play, the audience gets to see some of the daily activities of these men, the social lives they are trying to build, and their interactions with one another and Jack. Barry seems completely normal, and doesn’t really fit in with these guys. That is, until Mr. Klemper, Barry’s father, comes to visit. Barry becomes withdrawn and quiet; he doesn’t want to do anything but focus on his father’s visit. Jack doesn’t think that Mr. Klemper’s visit is a good idea; he turns out to be right. Mr. Klemper becomes so aggravated with Barry’s silence that he physically strikes him, sending Barry into a downward spiral that gets him out of the apartment and into an institution.

At the end of the play, Jack gets his new job and has to try to explain why he is leaving to Norman, Arnold, and Lucien. When he tells them he is leaving and they are getting a new social worker, they all lose it; they don’t want to lose him. In the end, he goes to his new job, and the three of them move on with their lives.

The play was a success! There were only positive comments from the audience. Jaime Patton came to watch the play with a friend and he said that “this was probably one of the best performances I have ever seen. They did a great job!”

Karla, a woman visiting with her daughter, said that the play was a huge success, and that “it really opened my eyes to the difficulty these people have in life.”

Richard Weber stated that “the mentally handicapped are just like us, and it is important that we never forget about them and the enormous value they have in society.” He also felt the play was a great success.

The cast and crew of “The Boys Next Door” deserve a round of applause and a pat on the back for a job well done. Congratulations, guys!

“I am here to remind the species of the species. I am Lucien Percival Smith. And without me, without my shattered crippled brain, you will never again be frightened by what you might have become. Or indeed, by what your future might make you.”

This quote, taken from the second act of the play The Boys Next Door, is a key message in the show. Director Rick Truman related this message to a view that many people currently hold regarding the events in Haiti. There is a push to aid those directly affected by the disaster, but not many avenues to go about it. Meanwhile, a large majority of people view the situation with gratefulness for our own comfort. In the midst of turmoil it is easy to lose sight of those things certain people groups have and for which they should be thankful. Seeing what has been lost or not given to others shines a spotlight on that which they too could have been without. This play depicts a group of four developmentally delayed men and their caretaker as they make an effort to integrate into society.

“It’s about four guys who are really a family,” says director and Avila alum Rick Truman. “They’re really fun, likeable people.”

Truman, who achieved his undergraduate degree in theatre-acting in 1991 with Avila, is now working full time as managing director at the Quality Hill Playhouse and says this is the seventh show he has directed for the Goppert Theatre.

This production presents certain complications for both director and actors as it portrays the taboo of the time. Set in the 80s, the story takes place at time when being mentally handicapped was much less socially acceptable. The social taboo that has been created makes it difficult to show the humor of the play without appearing to make fun of the situations therein.  However, both director and actors have stated that their main objective is to be real and honest.

“You can’t comment on it.”

“It addresses every problem that we have functioning as people,” claims actor Michael Hudgens who plays the part of Norman, a developmentally delayed man who works at a doughnut shop and has a growing fetish for doughnuts. “It’s a good show. It’s got everything. It’s honest and that’s what we want to see. The second you’re dishonest onstage, it doesn’t work. You can’t comment on it.”

Indeed, this script, its performance, and those involved in both portraying and viewing it are the comment. Allowing the work to speak for itself and letting it hit you in the gut will be all the comment it needs.

Wil Andrews-Weiss, who plays Lucien, the slowest member of the group, says of the show, “It runs through the full spectrum of emotions. People who come shouldn’t be afraid to laugh.”

At certain points throughout the production, certain characters step out of their conditions for a moment to relate to audience members in a way they will more readily understand.

Xanda Pilley, who plays Norman’s love interest Sheila, warns that “there are moments in the show when the characters come out of the mentally handicapped block and reveal how they see themselves in a way we can comprehend.”

In this way, the play not only encourages the audience to laugh and sympathize, but also to listen. Overall it promises to be a riotously good show with humor and a purpose! Playing February 25-27 at 8 p.m. and February 28 at 2 p.m. in Goppert.