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By BOB NOCEK; Times Leader Staff Writer
Friday, November 21, 1997 Page: 1C
WILKES-BARRE- Harvey wasn’t always an invisible rabbit.
At first, he was neither a rabbit nor invisible.
However, a giant canary, as Mary Chase first created Elwood P. Dowd’s best
friend, just didn’t feel right.
So Harvey became a white rabbit, played by an actor in a rabbit suit as the
play was readied for Broadway. That is, until director Antoinette Perry
decided the costumed actor had to go.
And suddenly, a rabbit that didn’t really exist became one of the most
memorable theatrical characters of the 20th century.
“You cannot deny the fact that this thing ran on Broadway for three years,
and the movie, with Jimmy Stewart, became a classic,” said Jason Miller, who
this weekend steps into the big bunny’s unseen shadow as Dowd in “Harvey,” the
first collaboration between Public Theatre of Pennsylvania and the F.M. Kirby
Center for the Performing Arts.
The partnership, announced earlier this year, is designed for several
purposes, particularly to involve students in an apprenticeship program that
will help prepare them for careers in theater. A number of students from
Wyoming Area, Coughlin and Meyers high schools have worked on “Harvey” as
assistant stagehands and such.
In addition, two shows are being performed for 1,500 area children.
But Public Theatre also aims to entertain the general public, presenting
professional-quality, locally produced shows at the Kirby Center.
” `Harvey,’ hopefully, will get a lot of people to come and get those
mouths talking,” said director Bob Shlesinger. “We want to get the general
public behind us.”
John Cardoni of the Kirby Center said about 450 tickets had been
distributed for each of the evening performances.
“Harvey” is perhaps best known for the Jimmy Stewart film, which in 1950
brought Chase’s story to a nationwide audience with one of Stewart’s
best-loved performances.
But the film was an adaptation of the play, which had debuted on Broadway a
few years earlier. It was reprised in 1970, and there’s talk that a revival is
in the works, featuring John Larroquette as Dowd.
The play was chosen for Public Theatre, Miller said, not only for its
popularity, but for its quality, as well.
“This does touch something in the collective consciousness, some chord in
people,” he said. “It gave people at least two hours of delight, and escape,
if you will,” he said. “But it’s not pure escapism.”
Dowd is a drinker, who believes, to his family’s chagrin, that a 6-foot-3
rabbit is his best friend. Dowd talks to Harvey, holds the door open for
Harvey and even apologizes to others for Harvey’s behavior.
Meanwhile, Harvey is driving Dowd’s sister out of her mind- crazy enough
that she might actually have seen Harvey herself.
She unwittingly gets herself locked away trying to get help for her
brother.
“I like it because it’s a scathing indictment of psychiatry,” Miller said.
“Scathing. It was way ahead of its time.”
Co-starring with Miller is Agnes Cummings, a Public Theatre veteran who
plays Dowd’s frazzled sister, Veta Louise Simmons. Ellen O’Brien portrays
Myrtle May Simmons, Veta’s daughter, who tries to help keep her uncle from
talking to others about Harvey.
Bob Hensley, as Dr. Chumley, heads the psychiatric hospital where Dr.
Sanderson (Tony Santaniello), nurse Ruth Kelly (Carol Sweeney) and aide Wilson
(Michael Draper) try to sort out just who’s sane and who isn’t.
Rounding out the cast are a Gary Barrett, as a cab driver, and Steve
Stylinski, as Judge Gaffney.
If you go
WHAT: The comedy “Harvey,” presented by Public Theatre of Pennsylvania.
WHERE: The Kirby Center, Public Square, Wilkes-Barre.
WHEN: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.
TICKETS: $20 and $15.
INFO: 826-1100.