It has taken Salt Lake Acting Company nearly four years to acquire the regional rights to British playwright Terry Johnson's acclaimed farce, "Hysteria," recently produced in the United States by such prestigious companies as Chicago's Steppenwolf (directed by John Malkovich) and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Set in 1939, "Hysteria" revolves around Sigmund Freud, who has fled Nazi-occupied Vienna for the quiet London suburb of Hamstead.
SLAC's regional premiere of "Hysteria" is Nov. 15-Dec. 17 in the Upstairs Theatre.
Guest-director Meg Gibson, who last directed SLAC's production of Arthur Miller's "The Ride Down Mount Morgan," notes that Johnson's script — which is as much a psychological mystery as it is a farce — is based on several historical incidents during the last year of Freud's life. During 1939, Freud did, in fact, move to London, where he met one of the era's most colorful and eccentric artists — Salvador Dali.
Gibson's cast includes Gene Pack as Freud; Joe Pitti as Dali; Tony Larimer as Freud's physician, Dr. Yahuda; Kristin Kahle as Jessica, an attractive young "student" of Freud's work who suddenly shows up on his doorstep; and Jim Pitts and Melissa Gessel in multiple roles, including figments of Freud's feverish dreams.
Pitti, who is nurturing a Dali-esque mustache for the role, notes that it is rather remarkable how Johnson has "woven these two characters and their lives together. Dali is such a colorful and wild character; it's wonderful to be able to explore the role mentally as an actor."
Pitti explained that the mustache he is growing depicts "a younger Dali — not the full, curled mustache that looked like two conductors' batons curving up almost to his eyes, but still definitely the 1930s style of the Spaniards from that region."
"Dali painted his dreams and Freud interpreted dreams," said Pitti, adding that it's exciting "to have them meet with that kind of energy."
Pack, too, is adapting his facial hair to the role. "I just got my beard trimmed, so I look a lot like Freud. Then again, my great uncle was Heber J. Grant, and I look like him, too," Pack said during a brief, off-the-air break at KUER, where he's worked for 40 years.
"This is a huge role," Pack admits. "The play is 80 pages long, and I'm usually talking for all but two pages."
But he was quick to explain that the other players, too, are equally important.
"They have their moments when they really take over the attention of the audience," he said.
"Terry Johnson has done some astonishing things with the script. It ranges from knockabout farce to serious, almost tragic stuff. Without giving anything away, I can tell you that everything does come together at the end," he said.
"When you get in your 60s, you think it's over (as a performer), then something like this comes along," Pack said, adding that two upcoming projects include narrating "The Young Children's Guide to the Orchestra" next year in the Temple Square Tabernacle, and — tentatively — playing narrating the role of Babar the Elephant with Utah pianist Grant Johannsen in New York City.
Pitti noted that while this is the first time that members of the ensemble have acted together, "all of us have crossed paths at one time or another."
Gibson, who began her acting career locally during Salt Lake Acting Company's early years, is now a New York-based actress and director. She commented that one upcoming project for her is directing a play for the Long Wharf, one of the East Coast's best-known theaters.
"They've been trying to get the rights to "Hysteria" for some time and were surprised that I'd be directing it in Salt Lake City. Apparently the playwright wants to tie up the East Coast rights until he can direct it himself," she said.
Because the show touches on some of Dali's surrealistic paintings, "Hysteria" poses some technical challenges. Scenery designer Keven Myhre and Gibson have talked to designers and directors at both the Steppenwolf and Mark Taper Forum theaters, getting advice on solving technical problems and even borrowing some of the Mark Taper Forum's props.
Gibson is finding that directing "Hysteria" is different than when she directed "The Ride Down Mount Morgan." She had acted in the latter during its Manhattan run. "I knew that play so well from performing in it that I knew what I wanted to change. I was able to deconstruct it and make it more of an ensemble piece — all from the advantage of being in it for two months. But this one scared me.
"Johnson's script is brilliant. It's written in the style of farce, but it's a psychological mystery as well. It not only includes the mystery of one of Freud's case histories but the mystery of Freud's own personality as well. Anyone interested in the process of psychotherapy is going to be in heaven. It operates on several levels."
The production does have "a tiny bit of nudity" in it, Gibson explained. "But it's way back upstage, and it's not frontal."
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