By Grant Golden
THE BASICS: Aaron Sorkin’s 2007
drama about the race to invent television gets its regional premiere at the
Kavinoky this month, playing weekends through May 31st. David Lamb directs a cast of fifteen
(enormous by Buffalo standards!). The
show runs about two hours, with one intermission.
THUMBNAIL SKETCH:
Rivals
David Sarnoff, the legendary mogul who invented NBC, and Philo Farnsworth, a
self-taught boy genius from Idaho, star in and co-narrate this fascinating look
at the birth of television. Did
the driven and ruthless Sarnoff “steal” television from the hayseed
Farnsworth? Well, it’s
complicated, and I don’t want to give anything away. Let’s just say that playwright Sorkin (A FEW GOOD MEN, THE
AMERICAN PRESIDENT, THE WEST WING) provides us with an energetic and
surprisingly entertaining history lesson.
THE CAST: David Lamb’s big cast
is loaded with talent. Peter
Palmisano is terrific as the steely Sarnoff, a rags-to-riches immigrant who
cannot fully bury his remorse with rationalization. Christian Brandjes’ Farnsworth is, for the most part, a
nicely contrasting sunny presence.
The character gains in scope, however, as personal misfortune and The
Bottle begin to take their toll. I
would have liked to see a little more of Farnsworth’s dark side from Brandjes,
but this is hardly a major flaw.
Tom Owen, Dan Walker, John Warren and Tom Zindle are all very solid in
support. Doug Weyand has a nice
little turn as Young Farnsworth’s grade school science teacher. Surprise of the night: David Lundy, an up-and-coming actor
with a rubbery face and an obvious knack for comic caricature. Keep your eye on this guy. Pretty Eliza Maher seems a little
forced in the role of Pem, Farnsworth’s girlfriend/wife. Veterans Eileen Dugan and Kathy Weese
are wasted in a number of thankless little roles.
PRODUCTION VALUES:
David
Lamb’s sprightly direction gives an air of urgency and importance to the highly
literate script. There are some
very sharply executed ensemble passages here. David King’s set is abstractly appealing, and there is a
little razzle-dazzle lighting from Brian Cavanagh.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Sorkin plays to your
head, not your heart. Don’t expect
to get emotionally involved. That
said, the Kavinoky production is nearly as good as you could wish, and brings
this odd little chapter of popular history most vividly to life.
Four
Buffalos (out of five)
HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the rating system)
ONE BUFFALO:
This means trouble. A
dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless