A drama that was "born in an air of mutual reckless faith" (the playwright hadn't put one word on paper when the Salt Lake Acting Company extended an invitation two years ago to have it read in its ongoing New Play Sounding Series of readers' theater presentations) will have its world premiere this week in SLAC's Upstairs Theatre.
The playwright is J.T. Rogers, a New York City-based writer who has practically adopted Salt Lake City as his second home.
The play — which eventually got written — is "Seeing the Elephant," the story of a woman in the emotional throes of examining her life.
The director is Gus Reyes, Rogers' longtime collaborator who has directed most of Rogers' scripts. (The two were college schoolmates in North Carolina and went on to form the Next Stage Theatre Company, an off-Broadway showcase for new works, which they closed a couple of years ago after changing their focus.)
The cast of "Seeing the Elephant" includes veteran Salt Lake actress Anne Cullimore Decker, who has the central role of Vera — an outrageous, outspoken socialite who is something like a new generation's Auntie Mame.
"I thought 'Master Class' was the biggest you can get," said Decker during a recent telephone interview, referring to her performance as opera diva Maria Callas for SLAC a couple of seasons back. "But this one is a toughie. When I faced the Maria Callas challenge, I figured that if Zoe Caldwell did it — and we're about the same age, and she remembered all those lines — then I could. But Vera is a real challenge, both as an actress and a woman."
Decker said the play is abstract, with flashbacks, "and you go forward and backward, then it all falls into place. Basically, it's the story of Vera, a woman in her 60s — and I thought, 'Boy, I'd better grab this role while I can!'
"She's dealing with the deaths of her son and husband, and she's dealing with lots of emotions — guilt, confusion. She tries to be charming, effusive and outrageous, but underneath she's really sublimating and not facing life in its reality.
"It's a rollercoaster of a ride, but those who are willing to hop on are in for a real treat."
Decker says patrons are also in for some occasional rough language. "I had to do some soul-searching in many ways" before taking on the role, Decker said. "And I had to look at the challenges of the language. There are some words (in the script) that I've never used — and aren't generally used in our culture. But balancing that harsh language is some of the most poetic dialogue I've ever had the privilege of speaking."
"This young playwright is so far beyond his years," said Decker, who is amazed at "his knowledge of life and getting older. He is really a masterful writer."
Decker noted that she, personally, is more offended by violence than foul language in movies, "but some people will be offended by the language (in this play). But language is only an expression of the people who choose to use it, and the language defines these characters."
Rogers said that both he and Reyes are pleased at the level and quality of talent that showed up for the production's auditions. "It's hard to get good actors in any theater in any city of any size, including New York City, and I know that Gus' expectations have been far exceeded," said Rogers, who was also impressed with SLAC's commitment to produce new, untried works.
He noted that there are many major theater companies, not only in New York but across the country, that claim to be committed to the development and production of new plays.
"There's no shortage of play development; there is a shortage of play presentations," he said. "There's a 'workshop ghetto' with readings, but the plays rarely evolve into fully staged productions.
"But certainly, for a new playwright, it's very impressive what Salt Lake Acting Company does."
Rogers was born in Berkeley, Calif., and still has family in the Bay Area, but he grew up spending his summers with his mother in New York's East Village.
"Ever since I gave the world's finest performance as the Huntsman in 'Snow White,' I was dead set on being an actor," he said. "But when I got into the acting program in North Carolina, I started writing plays on the side. It was a sort of 'theater boot camp,' and by the time I left, I realized that something had shifted. After moving to New York and auditioning for all the major shows, I realized I had no interest in auditioning."
Eventually, he and his wife (Rebecca Ashley, a modern dance choreographer-turned-arts education evaluator) and Reyes spent eight years producing their own original works in the Next Stage Theater Company, a small theater near Times Square.
It was while SLAC was staging his production of "White People" (an intense, three-person drama directed by Keven Myhre), that local audiences got their first glimpse of "Seeing the Elephant," then — just barely — a work-in-progress.
This is not Reyes' first trip to Utah. As owner of a New York-based film production company, Stolen Car Productions, he's visited the Sundance Film Festival on several occasions, just passing through Salt Lake City on his way to or from the airport. "When J.T. came to Utah for 'White People' he immediately fell in love with Salt Lake City and Salt Lake Acting Company, so when I was about to come out for 'Seeing the Elephant,' I asked about what kind of talent I could bring with me.
"SLAC was adamant that they would use all local talent. Having never worked here before — and even in Philadelphia, I brought all my own designers and some cast members from New York — I was very nervous. But the minute I walked off the plane and met the committee from SLAC, I realized that we can be so provincial in our thinking — that there's nothing west of the Hudson River. The talent pool here is phenomenal and SLAC has its head in the right place. They're focused entirely on the work and have given us free creative reign, which is very unique," Reyes said. Reyes notes that "what people are going to find (in 'Seeing the Elephant') is an enlightening and very entertaining evening of theater. This play really tackles the big questions about life and death and what's the meaning of it all. Anne Decker is doing an incredible job with this wonderful character of Vera. It's like a soire, an adventure, a journey through this woman's life."
Reyes will be heading directly back to New York right after opening night for another big premiere: His wife is eight months' pregnant with their first child.
The cast of "Seeing the Elephant" includes Tony Larimer as Vera's longtime paramour, Robert; Kathryn Atwood as her closest friend, Lizzie; and Morgan Lund as Lizzie's opinionated husband, George. Sarah Burrowes will play Katherine, a young woman with mysterious ties to Vera's past, and Paul Mulder is Wyman, a volatile and seductive artist. Jason Tatom, Jim Pitts and Paul Kiernan have a variety of roles — a gauntlet of medical doctors and experts, the ghost of Vera's dead husband, Walter, and a gay Jewish linguist from the Midwest.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com