On the open road to freedom Senior work delivers deep thought and quality acting

Author: Sara Jameson

Filled with acute emotion, clever dialogue and stirring philosophy, the performance of "On The Open Road," directed by Evan Dumouchel '06, pierced the audience with its intense depiction of the physical and emotional journey two men endure in their search for freedom. The play, written by Steve Tesich, is set during the Civil War and details the journey of two men, Al and Angel, through a war-ravaged landscape as they hope to eventually reach the Land of the Free. The play can be seen as a visualization of the human conflict between the reason of the mind, the emotion of the heart and the perils of indifference. Al lives in a world of composed reason, seeing and caring for nothing but facts and his safe one-sided relationship with art. Angel, however, responds expressively to the world around him and can hardly help the strength and careless tendencies of his emotions. The conflicting relationship between the two men unravels throughout their journey, reflecting with insightful intensity the internal struggle of humanity.

Middlebury's performance of "On the Open Road" managed to inspiringly portray Tesich's message, mainly through the incredible acting. Ben Davis '07 (Al) and Will Damron '09 (Angel) both delivered real and moving performances. The two worked wonderfully together, the lucidity and condescension of Davis countered perfectly with the blunt emotion and primitiveness of Damron. At first Damron's character seemed overacted compared to the composed subtly of Davis, but as the play continued and their characters developed, the purity and necessary artlessness of Damron's performance proved its significance. Both actors exhibited superior talent and unwavering energy as the play constantly demanded their concentration, emotion and sincerity in every scene - not once was a line noticeably fumbled or character dropped. Davis did a particularly stunning job with the presentation of his character, spouting off impassioned speeches, filled with philosophical and historic ideas that never wavered in their energy and clarity.

The direction by Dumouchel effectively manipulated the talent of the actors, as well as the physical set, staging and music, to contribute to and inspiringly present Tesich's message. Senior Kansan Ben Wiechman voiced his amazement at the actors' ability to affectingly portray the message of the work: "The spot on performances by Ben Davis and Will Damron conveyed the message that to experience true freedom, one must abandon all selfish ambition and a morally relativistic mindset."

The action and dialogue of the play mainly revolved around the two men, but certain cameo performances exhibited stirring talent as well. Leah Day, playing the Monk, powerfully portrayed her character with stunning poise and coldness. Erik Lewis, acting as the cello-playing Jesus, also delivered a striking performance; despite the fact that he spoke no words. He appeared battered and bloody in the center of the stage, gently gripping his cello - a perfect picture of human suffering and representative of humanity's indifference towards the pains and struggles of others. Just as Angel went to kill Jesus, in an act Angel believed would set him "free," Lewis began to play the cello - a beautiful piece by Bach, that bewitched the characters, as well as the audience, with its poignant beauty. The moment is quite ironic - this hideously wounded and pathetic being is able to create something of such powerful beauty. That one musical and bewitching moment Lewis created was probably the most touching in the entire play - the two killers are unable to act, frozen by the innocent beauty of music. It is in this moment that the two men confront the perils of indifference, grappling to find the ability to mindlessly kill this feeble man, but failing in the midst of such expressive and moving emotion.

With brilliant acting, gripping intensity, and plenty of weighty philosophy to work with, the performance of "On the Open Road" was a journey in itself to behold. Unlike some plays that tend to get bogged down and confused in the often illusive, "deeper meaning," of the work, the presentation of "On The Open Road," with the help of insightful directing and genuine performances, truly expressed the conflict of humanity with powerful emotion and prevailing beauty and intensity.