The Theater Gym debuted its fourth production this week, presenting Glen Berger’s Underneath the Lintel: An Impressive Presentation of Lovely Evidences. This one-act monodrama takes the audience to a one-night-only lecture with the Librarian, who carries his own box of “lovely evidences” on to a set that is minimally furnished with a blackboard, small projector, and screen.

The plot of Underneath the Lintel unfolds retroactively, as told through the recollections of the Librarian, a Dutch man who never had an interest in any occupation beyond checking in returned books and stamping them with the stamper he wears around his neck—a stamper that holds the dates of “all the trials and joys of history”—that is, until he embarked on an adventure of curiosity that caused him to lose the only job he ever had. He unpacks his box piece by piece, beginning with the key bit of evidence that started the whole adventure: a Baedeker guidebook that was returned 123 years late with clues written in its margins.

In his quest to deliver the delinquent patron with an appropriately hefty late fee, the Librarian finds himself leaving Holland for the first time in his life, trekking all over Europe, only to discover that the guidebook might be a link to the myth of the Wandering Jew, a man who let Jesus rest underneath his lintel for a moment on his walk to Calvary. Becoming obsessed with finding the man behind the vague trail of clues he’s collected in his box, the Librarian finds himself jobless, far out of his comfort zone, and having an exhilarating adventure for the first time in his life.

Kevin Fewell stars as the Librarian in this production directed by Art Suskin. Fewell brings a scattered excitement to the role of a man on a late-in-life vision quest, darting across the stage with each new thought. His nervous energy is true to the spirit of a man who has spent most of his life behind a desk, and who has only now jumped outside the box that he’d built around himself. Fewell realized the Librarian as a sweet older man, who was at times a bit too charming. I would have expected a slightly more stilted, awkward person to be approaching me with a far-fetched story after spending most of his life with books, which might have made his occasional respect for the fourth wall even more hilarious when he blushingly acknowledged us again after losing his train of thought. But Fewell’s Librarian was likable and bonded quickly with the audience.

Fewell’s often frantic enthusiasm prompted the audience to laugh at his naiveté upon discovering the world outside Holland, and provided a sharp contrast for the few moments of wistful introspection on a life gone by—my favorite being the thoughtful, almost inaudible musing on The One That Got Away, which was fleetingly heartbreaking. His performance overall was incredibly well-paced, effectively keeping the audience engaged as the Librarian uncovered clues and examined his own life in contrast to the possible life of the myth he was chasing. The emotional climax of the play, in which the Librarian violently confronts his own sense of worth in the world, was truly and deeply affecting.

A hearty and well-deserved hats-off to The Theater Gym, Art Suskin, and Kevin Fewell for a wonderful production of this curiously compelling play, and I am convinced the performance will only get better in the weeks to come.

In December The Theater Gym will present The Fox on the Fairway, a comedy written by Ken Ludwig, author of Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo, and Leading Ladies. Be sure to add them to your holiday to-do list!

REVIEW
The Theater Gym
Underneath the Lintel: An Impressive Presentation of Lovely Evidences
Runs October 5–23 (reviewed October 5, 2011)
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
1307 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-7344 or online at www.theatregym.org

By Karen Hauge

Classical Contributor, Senior Editor

A native of New Jersey, Karen Hauge relocated to Kansas City in 2010 to attend UMKC in pursuit of her M.M. in flute performance. Since moving to Kansas City, Karen has been active as a performer within the Conservatory and as a music educator in the community, working with the Conservatory’s Community Academy of Music and Dance.

Karen earned a B.M. from the University of Delaware, where she studied music education with Suzanne Burton and Robert Streckfuss. During her time at Delaware, Karen was awarded several grants to fund an independent research project over the course of two years. The project and subsequent thesis, entitled “What Does It Mean To Be Musical?,” explored the ways in which people naturally interact with music in their everyday lives, and earned her a degree with distinction upon graduation. Karen has been active as a solo and chamber performer in Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. She has performed for world-renowned flute pedagogues such as Jeanne Baxtresser and Jeffrey Khaner, and has received honors for outstanding performance through her career at both the university and professional level. Her primary flute teachers have been Mardee Reed-Ulmer, Eileen Grycky, and Mary Posses.