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Photo By Scott J. Kimmins
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Marni Penning (as Myrna) and Naomi Bailis (as Jim) in
The Mineola Twins
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Feeling a little schizoid these days? You might get some perspective on your position from the Human Race Theatre Company's production of Paula Vogel's witty comedy, The Mineola Twins, in which the unbalanced halves of a striking personality take on lives of their own. It's a play about a set of twins, but each of them is diffracted through the dual prisms of personality and time, so we meet no less than seven distinct personalities, all played by one actress.
Adding to the fun, and increasing the interest for Cincinnati audiences to make the trek to downtown Dayton, is the fact that this performance showcases several familiar faces, including Marni Penning of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival (CSF), Cincinnatian Naomi Baylis and Daytonian Michelle Zimmerman who has appeared in several productions by Downtown Theatre Classics.
While all three actresses excel, this is truly Penning's show. I have watched this remarkable young actress for six seasons at CSF, and she is a genuine talent. In fact, now as a member of Actors Equity (the professional union for actors and stage managers) she's become too costly for CSF, except for occasional guest appearances. So she's off to New York late this summer to seek her professional fortunes amid the greater opportunities of America's richest theatrical market.
Meanwhile, everyone who's ever enjoyed Penning in roles from Juliet and Beatrice to Cordelia and Hamlet, should beat a path to Dayton for The Mineola Twins, a show that takes advantage of her diverse acting skills. Not only does she play both Myra and Myrna, a set of diametrically opposed twins (Myra is a card-carrying liberal while Myrna is so conservative she squeaks), she takes both characters from teen-agers in the '50s, to extreme young adults in the '60s, to parents and entrenched icons in the late '80s.
Penning, no stranger to playing multiple roles (in King Lear at CSF she was both the fool and Lear's loving daughter, Cordelia), really sinks her teeth into Myra/Myrna. Aided by an astounding set of wigs -- not to mention some bosomy amplification for Myrna -- Penning creates a series of amusing and startlingly distinct women.
I saw little flashes of roles I recall from CSF, but The Mineola Twins really gives Penning a chance to spread her wings with contemporary material that she approaches with reckless abandon. From Myra's sexy gymnastics with her sister's boyfriend to a second-act opening mad scene (sort of an aging Desdemona on speed) to Myrna's call-in radio host (Rush Limbaugh's know-it-all attitude blended with Barbara Bush voice and demeanor), every moment she's onstage is a treat to watch.
Having said all this, I don't want to slight the performances by Baylis and Zimmerman. Both actresses put on their male costumes at center stage during their first entrances. Having women in these roles highlights the gender issues that are central to The Mineola Twins.
As Myrna's boyfriend Jim, then Myra's lesbian lover Sarah, Baylis switches from a funny, self-absorbed loser to a confident, sensitive lover. Zimmerman plays the twins' contrary sons: Kenny is twitchy and drawn to Aunt Myra's libertine lifestyle, while sexually ambivalent Ben wishes his mom had the starch of his Aunt Myrna. These performances add another dimension of humor to this production.
The cast includes two other actors recently seen in Cincinnati productions: Mike Ward (he was in Ovation's The Scarlet Letter) and Aaron Simms (who appeared in Stage First's Alexander the Great). Wearing dark suits and shades, reminiscent of the Blues Brothers, their non-speaking minor characters are hospital aides and FBI agents. Mostly they provide funny interludes to distract during scene and costume changes.
Rather than distraction, a little more speed in changing scenery would kick this show up another notch. While director Scott Stoney keeps the onstage action clipping along at a breezy pace, scene changes seem labored, sometimes stalling the show's overall momentum. But that's a minor complaint.
Bring three fine actresses together with Vogel's raucous, bawdy script, and you have the formula for a very satisfying evening of theater. The Mineola Twins is a whack-upside-the-head comedy that makes you think about your own darker sides, within you or personified in a contrary twin.
THE MINEOLA TWINS, presented by the Human Race Theatre Company, continues at the Loft Theatre in downtown Dayton through April 30.
