September 15, 2014
The SuburbanSeptember 9, 2014
By Linda Zlatkin
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On Thursday, Sept. 4, the Segal Centre for Performing Arts seduced a full house with their season opener, The Graduate. This stage adaptation of the 1967 Mike Nichols feature film, that starred Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, is directed by Andrew Shaver and stars Luke Humphrey as Benjamin Braddock and Brigitte Robinson as, well, Mrs. Robinson.
The play opens with Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence and soon after, we hear heavy breathing as we are directed to the bedroom of 21-year-old college graduate Benjamin Braddock, clad in a scuba suit sitting on his bed, a screen in back showing an aquarium. His father (Marcel Jeannin) and mother (Jane Wheeler) are trying to coax him to go downstairs to the graduation party they have thrown for him, but he refuses.
It doesn’t take long for Mrs. Robinson to arrive for the famous seduction scene, which takes place with his parents and guests downstairs. This differs from the seduction scene in the movie, which takes place in Mrs. Robinson’s house after Benjamin drives her home. In the film, we don’t actually see Mrs. Robinson strip down but in the play, Robinson reveals quite a bit more.
Although the scene is a little startling at first, it’s a definite hilarious moment along with many other funny moments throughout the play.
Later we watch the love triangle unfold with Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, Elaine (Georgina Beaty), when Benjamin breaks his promise to not date her. But the innocent Elaine is just the kind of girl who makes Benjamin realize how empty the sex is with Mrs. Robinson. There’s the scene with their first date at a strip club and Elaine’s mortification that he took her there. This is both a funny and serious scene where comic relief comes from the gyrations of the stripper (played by local burlesque performer Seska Lee) in front of Elaine.
Terry Johnson’s adaptation of The Graduate contains other alterations and additions, like the mother/daughter drinking scene where we see the alcoholic side of Mrs. Robinson speaking in her drunken tone to Elaine. However, in spite of the adaptations, the best lines from the movie are still there.
The set, designed by James Lavoie, includes a sofa, piano and, of course, a bed for the various scenes, beautifully augmented by images projected on a screen. Susan Vera designed the costumes that evoke the era and we hear the timeless songs by Simon & Garfunkel and beautiful music, composed and performed by Justin Rutledge and Matthew Barber.
Playing through September 21, The Graduate is a must see.