People new to my writing might not know that I have actually been a bit of a swimmer in my day- particularly open water swimming. In fact, when it was being run (sadly it is too shallow a lake currently) I completed the Great Salt Lake Open Water Swim 6 times. Anyway, suffice it to say the saving of the lake is something I feel very passionate about.
With these feelings it bums me out that I had such mixed feelings about Salt Lake Acting Company’s new original play Very Like a Whale. The play is by local playwright Troy Deutsch and directed by Alexandra Harbold and for the first 20 minutes or so I was loving the experience. It starts out as a family comedy as generations of return to their home near the GSL to pack things up after the death of their parents. The new matriarch of the family Megan is played by Olivia Custodio with terrific comedic timing. Her banter with choreographer brother Greg (Robert Scott Smith) and her husband Chester (M. Scott McLean) along with more characters is hilarious and worth a ticket just to enjoy their verbal spatting with each other.
I only wish the play had stayed in that family comedy dynamic but unfortunately a new character is introduced named Penelope Dickinson (Sarah Shippobotham) and boy did this choice not work for me. No offense to Shippobotham who does all she can with the role but as soon as she arrives all the energy and comedy I liked so much was sapped out of the play. In its place we were presented with tedious exposition about legalese over the house and the care for the mysterious whales of the Great Salt Lake. The people to the left of me left after this was going on (no intermission in this show) and while I think that is extreme I can understand the inclination. I would honestly rather hear a lecture on the state of the lake (which we do get some of in the play) than hear more about how the brine shrimp are farmed and who owns what part of said farm.
In between the exposition we’d get more of that family banter, and I’d perk up and start enjoying it again and then we’d be back to what wasn’t working. We also have Yolanda Stange and Ben Young looking over the events on a perch above the family. This seemed like a total waste of talent and I kept waiting for them to matter more or become the Statler and Waldorf of this play but they have very few lines. I guess you could say I didn’t get it when it comes to their characters.
I guess I feel frustrated because I loved that family dynamic so much. If Deutsch does any more edits on the play I’d say focus more on that and less on the Wickhams and who owns the whales but that’s just me. The set by Erik Reichert was also a bit of a mixed bag. This is supposed to be in Salt Lake and it looks like Nantucket or Cape Cod. I know it is supposed to be in Box Elder County right near the lake but I’ve never been in a home in Utah that looks like a beachfront vacation rental. I’d find some ways to make it look like Utah. It could even be subversive to have the Proclamation on the Family or something LDS inspired given the family tension. That could be funny. I’d just like it to feel like Utah on set.
In the end, I’d say see Very Like a Whale at SLAC to support local voices and to enjoy the comedic strengths. It’s worth it for those reasons. On a related note, there’s actually a documentary about Great Salt Lake coming out this weekend called The Lake which is flawed but worth seeing especially if you aren’t up-to-date on the crisis GSL is in right now. Very Like a Whale is playing through October 25th and tickets can be purchased here.
Very Like a Whale by Troy Deutsch is a co-world premiere with Cadence Theatre Company (Richmond, VA) in collaboration with Flying Bobcat Theatrical Labratory.
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