Lovable characters revive rabbit tale

By Joseph Rozmiarek
Advertiser Theater Critic

•	'Harvey' When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 4:30 p.m. Sundays, through April 7 Where: Yellow Brick Studio Admission: $10 Information: 591-7999

"Harvey," by Mary Chase, was a big hit for The Actors' Group last season and just can't seem to say goodbye. This revival, with a new director and several new cast members, re-creates the show's charm all over again.

In addition to bringing back the same central character, Sam Polson also repeats his role of the lovable Elwood P. Dowd and is a big reason for the production's success. Polson captures all the necessary adjectives to flesh out the role long identified with Jimmy Stewart. He's warm, genuine, naive and simply ingratiating.

It's a characterization that builds gradually on the premise that Elwood's best friend is a seven-foot-tall animal spirit that only he can see. Add to that Elwood's sincere interest in finding the best in other people, his fondness for a sociable drink and his willingness to ignore the world's useless conventions and by the final curtain, he is a thoroughly rounded and layered character whom the audience believes in and cherishes.

Mary Frances Kabel-Gwin also appears again as Elwood's long-suffering sister Veta. Largely a study in prolonged frustration, Veta is another role that emerges slowly over the course of the play. As she unsuccessfully tries to commit her brother to a sanitarium, Kabel-Gwin finds the protectiveness Veta has for her brother, and finally, the resignation to accept both him and Harvey.

As a result, the audience is doubly won over.

The third repeat cast member is Patrick Casey as the grim psychiatrist to whom Harvey reveals himself after a long evening of drinks in a bar. As the scales of uncompromising reality begin to fall from his eyes, the role becomes a small delight of its own.

Director Jake Cofone and several new cast members also put their own spin on this revival.

Dorothy Stamp as gawky niece Myrtle Mae and William Street as the tough-talking orderly bring strong definition to their roles and segue into a fascinating flirtation as the characters discover one another.

Elisabeth Wenzel is the perfect blonde bimbo with unrealized sensibilities as Nurse Kelly, and Ginnie Little is wonderfully goofy as the vibrating, pill-popping psychiatrist's wife. Ely Rapoza is a mite underdone as the junior head-shrinker.

Again, the play improbably seems to fit into the tiny theater, where there is room enough for only three rows of chairs and the audience down front must tuck in their toes to avoid being trod upon by the actors. A simple set with fold-out panels and double-duty furniture fills in the two locales.

A good deal of the charm in "Harvey" comes from its 1940s naivete and simplicity. There are no hard edges, political correctness or hidden meanings. The message is simply to slow down and enjoy each other.

And that beats a harsh shot of reality any day.