All season, I’ve sat patiently waiting for this time to come. It’s finally time for the third mainstage. It’s no secret as to why I have been twiddling my thumbs waiting for “Harvey,” because I have been biding my time for one simple question to be answered: what on earth is a pooka?
I’m sorry to any readers scoffing at my negligence on the topic, but I truly did not know until now! Fortunately enough, our pooka Harvey is MUCH cuter than what comes up when you type it into Safari.
Our pooka comes in the form of an anthropomorphic rabbit, who is six feet or so tall. I like to picture him mild-mannered and personable; someone who you’d want to take home to meet your folks. He plays a special role in the play that you’re hopefully coming out to see this weekend. So let me tell you a little more as to why you should get to know Harvey.
“Harvey” is set in 1940s and essentially follows Elwood P. Dowd, Guinness World Records’ Kindest Man (awarded by me), and his friend Harvey. Harvey is his best friend, as best as friends can be in fact, but only Elwood can see him. Naturally, Elwood wants to introduce Harvey to everyone they meet, which doesn’t always make sense to those around him. Especially his family, sister Veta and niece Myrtle Mae, who are just horrified every time Elwood (and Harvey) walk into a room at the fear they might embarrass them. Veta, like the worst sister ever, decides she wants to commit her brother to a sanitarium, hoping she can get rid of Harvey for good and social climb / bop her way right up to the top. Just annoying sister things. However, when Elwood arrives, the entire play takes a complete turn for crazy (good crazy).
“The friendship between Elwood and Harvey is quite special. No matter what they’re doing, they are enjoying themselves when they’re with each other. It doesn’t matter whether they’re reading in silence or mingling with strangers at a bar; as long as they’re together, they are having a good time.”
- John Hennessy (Elwood P. Dowd)
Knowing about as little as little information as I just gave you is a great way to go into seeing this show. I found the twists of the plot incredibly funny and entertaining, definitely living up to the dark comedy that was promised. This specific aforementioned genre was one of the things that caught the eye of director Samkit Siyal, who gave me a little more info as to why he was so intrigued by “Harvey”:
“As I was reading the show, I fell more and more in love with it. I was writing three different proposals because I thought the show could go many different ways. It seems so straight-forward at first, but when you get deeper into it, it becomes beautifully complex.”
Complex it definitely is. As a period piece taking place in the 1940’s, there are a lot of things that are different about the world of ‘Harvey’. One of the biggest themes that had to be taken on by the actors was the gender discrimination and blatant sexism that was basically commonplace during this era.
“Initially, it was difficult to dive into a story of how women were treated in this time period - derogatory pet names, slights at their intelligence, inappropriate flirting. It was a difficult balance to portray this gender dynamic in an accurate way, while highlighting that this view of women affected the way they acted, but not the truth of who they were.” - Sabrina Caruso (Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet/Betty Chumley)
Thomas Pflanz, who is making his Cabaret acting debut, plays one of the doctors at the sanitarium. He told me how his character, Dr. Chumley, and his “sexist behaviors have been particularly difficult. He talks down to women in a very specific way that I'm very unfamiliar with, and had to work to achieve”. Luckily, Thomas is one of the sweetest men you will be lucky to meet, and this conduct is 100% Chumley, not our man. I also think these themes were important in the script to create contrast between the 1940’s norm and the kindness of Elwood’s character, who constantly comes to the defense of and treats the women he meets like queens.
The lady cast members had their own adaptations to make to become more in touch with the time period. It was fun for me to notice all the women of the cast crossing their feet, being extra polite and caring about being proper. Steph Bradli, who plays Elwood’s niece, Myrtle Mae, pointed out that this was similar to the scene in “The Princess Diaries,” where there was a whole class just to learn this skill. Steph is glad that we live in 2020 and that she only needs to learn how to properly cross one’s ankles as an acting choice.
History major/total geek Carson Cummins, who is also making her acting debut (so exciting), was very excited to be acting in a period piece on the other hand. She told me how “getting into costume and learning more about life and culture in the 1940s has made [her] so very happy”. And we are so happy when Carson is happy.
One of the more controversial female characters in the show is Veta, who seems to be prioritizing herself over the wellbeing of her brother. I asked Madhu Murali about Veta and her relationship with Elwood:
“She clearly values having a successful social life, but she is also forced throughout the play to recognize the preciousness of her younger brother, whom she essentially helped raise. She may come across as antagonistic at times, but I think it’s important for the audience to see themselves in Veta, and to recognize her humanity. Harvey certainly does...”
A friend of the Dowd family is Judge Gaffney, played by Sam Sobel. He serves as the lawyer for their family. Sam wanted this blog post to be all about him. So here, Sam. Here is your paragraph. It’s the best one I’ve written yet. I’ll take my check in the mail.
Elwood’s gentle nature definitely makes me think about how poorly we often all treat each other. Josh Rosenzweig, who plays Dr. Sanderson, put it like a grade-A motivational speaker: “I want people to understand that just because someone deviates away from cultural rationality or normalcy, that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. Sometimes being different and unlike everyone else can actually make it easier to live more happily and love yourself as well as those around you.”
The cast and I agree there are a lot of funny moments to look forward to this weekend at “Harvey”. Many of them include a portrait on the wall, which I will not say anymore about and just let you all see for yourself. Others are very excited about LuisDiego Millan’s performance in this show, maybe because he’s the birthday boy, or maybe because he looks so cute in his scrubs! Thomas told me about his favorite part of the show, and I immediately agreed it was one of the scenes that I loved the most as well.
Elwood and Dr. Chumley share an interaction towards the end of the show, where Chumley himself has realized he mistreated and misdiagnosed Elwood simply based on the initial information Veta presented. Elwood tells Chumley something his mother once told him long ago, you can either be smart or pleasant, and he recommends he choose pleasant. It strips down Elwood’s character to the fact that he has simply just chosen to be pleasant. Not because he’s looking to impress others, and not because he’s trying to be someone he’s not, only because he enjoys the simple act of interaction. It’s so sweet, and we all applaud John Hennessy for their perfect portrayal of this character.
“I hope anyone who watches this will find the spirit of Elwood in themselves. There is gentleness and kindness in everyone. We tend to forget those parts of ourselves from time to time. Be nice to uber drivers, talk to strangers, compliment what you find beautiful in others. As Elwood is, you will be content where you are, no matter where you go.”
- Mary Klein (Ruth Kelly, R.N.)
Before I head out, just in case it had crossed your mind as it did mine, here’s a list of what type of pooka each cast member would want to have:
Thomas — Panda (just the right amount of chaos and cuteness)
Josh — A llama, an alpaca, a wombat, or a quokka (did I ask for three?)
Sam — Sea otter
Former Horse Girl Steph — A horse (S/o co-former horse girl Katie Siegel)
Mary — Something soft and furry
Carson — “My heart is saying cat but my brain is saying gargoyle??? I think something's wrong”
Sabrina — A monkey named Marcel
John — A big, lazy, dumb dog
Madhu — Baby elephant
I would obviously choose a chicken.
Congratulations to the entire cast and production staff for a beautifully put together show. Monday of tech week is never easy, but I always enjoy what I see, and look forward to another opportunity to come back and see “Harvey” this weekend.
Cabaret Theatre presents: Harvey
Runs March 5th to March 8th
Go grab your tickets here!
For more information visit our Facebook event page
Photos courtesy of Justin Jajalla