Villanova Theatre presents Karen Zacarías's 'The Book Club Play'

Too much fiction

But the playwright’s multiple and witty dramatic intentions are nearly impossible to discern through the misguided fuzz of this production. Zacarías did not write a mindless farce or boffo comedy, and yet — whether from lack of acting prowess among its cast or a series of strange choices by director James Ijames — that is where this production quickly lands.

In the play, a group of regular readers gathers monthly at the home of dictatorial newspaper columnist Ana Smith (Amy Abrigo) and her less-literate husband Rob (Ethan Mitchell). They include eager cub journalist Lily (Kishia Nixon), history buff William (Kale A. Thompson), shy and sensible Jen (Mary Lyon), and new-guy literature professor Alex (Jerald Bennett).

The group is being filmed over several meetings by a well-known Danish documentarian, so a whirring robotic camera is also a character. A Pundit (Shawneen Rowe) appears periodically, punctuating the action with droll comments.

A certain stylization is mandated by the script, which also requires pace and flow. But to achieve the playwright’s aim it’s necessary (in any comedy, light or dark) that the characters have some realistic base.

Nixon and Lyon are on track to true characterizations, and the play was certainly written to seek and withstand deeper exploration. But overall, Villanova’s players showed little interest in crafting anything close to real people.

Reading the room

On opening night, the company was egged on to pose and mug by an enthusiastic audience of fellow students and well-wishers who cheered every comic “bit.” Coupled with the actors’ tendency to play each situation for quick and easy laughs, this made it nearly impossible for the play to go anywhere other than to inept comic extremes.

Parris Bradley’s scenic design for Villanova’s three-quarter-round black box worked visually as a revolving circular IKEA-esque living room. However, it also created a challenging playing space that often left the company uncomfortably stranded.

Lighting designer Jerold R. Forsyth used clever Danish-language projections. John Stovicek’s sound design included witty clicks and hums from the ever-present documentary camera, as well as scene-change music ranging from traditional hardanger fiddle to Danish-language pop songs.

Dramaturg CJ Miller included a lengthy essay in the show’s program about reality TV. While it seems somewhat peripheral to the production, he did provide a timeline with some interesting history about book-club movements.

Zacarías has written a work filled with smart dialogue and juicy literary allusions that’s been widely produced and praised. But here, Ijames allowed — or actually encouraged — in his actors a level of simplistic and amateurish performance, glossing over many of the salient points in this clever, literate, and well-crafted play.