'On a Darkling Plain'
[Theater review] The pain of McCarthyism and its contradictions.
 	Jay Hauben 

"On a Darkling Plain," a new play opened Jan. 12 at the Turtle Shell 
Theater in New York City. Written and Directed by Norman Beim, the play is 
an emotionally powerful examination of a question that arose out of a 
previous dark time in U.S. history known as McCarthyism. A little 
background is necessary to understand the play.

During the Second World War the U.S. and the Soviet Union were allies. In 
the mid to late 1940s, U.S. foreign policy shifted from this alliance 
against Nazism to an effort to contain or roll back the areas of Soviet 
influence. Accompanying this shift was a campaign, especially by U.S. 
Senator Joe McCarthy, to raise the specter of a widespread infiltration of 
U.S. society by Soviet agents and sympathizers.

McCarthyism was the time for more than 10 years when U.S. politics and 
society fell into an irrational and intense anti-communism. Thousands of 
Americans were accused often on little or no evidence of being Communist 
Party members or supporters, especially people who were government 
employees, in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. 
The government via hearings and the press via sensationalizing the 
hearings, helped to cause many of these people to lose their jobs, their 
careers and sometimes their freedom or lives.

A particular example of McCarthyism was the harassment of film and theater 
people especially those with a social perspective. In that category were 
the playwright Arthur Miller and the director Elia Kazan who were close 
friends and colleagues. In 1952 both Miller and Kazan were summoned to 
appear before the U.S. House of Representatives' Un-American Activities 
Committee, HUAC. They each acknowledged their attraction for a short time, 
over 15 years earlier to join or be close to the Communist Party.

To prove that they were now loyal Americans, HUAC offered both the chance 
to " name names" of colleagues who had been similarly involved. Otherwise, 
the entertainment industry should distrust their loyalty and deny them any 
employment ("blacklist" them). Miller refused the offer. Kazan eventually 
identified eight people he said had been members of the Communist Party 
with him in the mid-1930s. All were eventually blacklisted. For 12 years 
after that Miller and Kazan did not speak to each other.

In 1963 Miller and Kazan accepted to work together on Miller's play "After 
the Fall" as a first season offering at Lincoln Center in New York. The 
reconciliation between the two was unexpected and puzzling for those who 
had suffered because of Kazan's testimony

That brings us back to Norman Beim's fine play.

The play is set in 1964. McCarthyism has waned. Guy Leonard (Tom Sminkey), 
a brilliant Broadway and film actor has been driving a taxi for the last 
12 years. He has not had an acting job since George Makapolous (Jon Freda) 
named him as a communist. Those have been 12 rough years. His family was 
ostracized by neighbors. His children were harassed at school. Guy and his 
wife Miriam (Joan Barber) remember friends, similarly named, who became 
alcoholics or died by suicide. They hate George for what he did to them 
and to others by choosing loyalty to a false cause, anti-communism, rather 
than to his socially conscious friends.

Miriam informs Guy at breakfast that their son has been accepted to 
Harvard and that George Makapolous has called to ask to come over and talk 
to them. Where will the Leonards get the money for Harvard? And what 
should be done about George's request? Miriam already told George to come 
over.

Miriam says they should hear what George has to say. Guy says "never." 
After all he has done to people. It would be an insult to those people to 
let George into their home. George deserves their hatred. He should have 
thought about that when he decided to save his own career.

George arrives. Miriam and Guy are cold and Guy tries to drive George 
away. George has no apology. He defends his action on the principles he 
held then. He too has suffered. He has a role for Guy in a play written by 
a person modeled on Arthur Miller. A movie role will follow.

At the same time, a family friend of Miriam, Jerry Miller (Bristol 
Pomeroy) arrives to offer Guy a chance to audition to make TV commercials 
for a famous brand of toilet paper. Guy is tempted by the possibility to 
act again, to make some money and not to have to work with George. He goes 
for the audition.

The rest of the play resolves around the hard question, is it time and is 
it right for reconciliation? Should Guy's talents be expended on TV 
commercials so as not to compromise his disgust at what George did? Miriam 
threatens to leave Guy. Guy is torn.

The actors bring passion to the question and the audience feels the 
reality of the contradiction. The play ends with Guy accepting the role in 
the play to be directed by George. The playwright wants the ending to be 
on a positive note.

The play, the acting, the stage setting, the comfortable theater all added 
to make the evening a worthwhile experience

Norman Beim, the playwright commented in an interview that he was also an 
actor and loved acting. Guy will be able to act again. But, Beim tells us, 
we should not forget the damage done. "On a Darkling Plain" is a result of 
his indignation at the injustice of the blacklist at that terrible time. 
"I did quite a bit of research on the subject," he said, "and my heart 
went out to those victims." He added, "Those dark days are once again upon 
us. . . .(P)eople in prison for long periods of time with no trial, no 
evidence, only suspicion. Torture, et al."

For this reviewer, the play was a lesson about dark times and the great 
pain they inflict. Dark times may pass but the pain and the harm done 
during them leaves deep scars in a society. ON A DARKLING PLAIN

CAST : Tom Sminkey, Joan Barber, Jon Freda, Bristol Pomeroy
PLAYWRIGHT and DIRECTOR: Norman Beim
VENUE: Turtle Shell Productions, 300 West 43rd Street, 4th Floor
OPENED: January 12, 2007, CLOSES: January 27, 2007
SETS: Ryan Scott
LIGHTING: Lisa Weinshrott and Michael L. Kimmel
COSTUMES: A. Christina Giannini
SOUND: Sarah Ibrahim
STAGE MANAGER: TaShawn "Pope" Jackson
PRODUCING COMPANY: Turtle Shell Productions -- John W. Cooper Artistic 
Director
PERFORMANCES: Wed -- Sat at 8pm; Sat at 2pm; plus Jan 22 at 7pm
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 10 minutes

2007/01/24 2007 Ohmynews

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=341494&rel_no=1