STAGE REVIEW
Two actors shine in 'Mr. Green'

By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Drama Critic

•	'Visiting Mr. Green' 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays through Jan. 26 $25, Manoa Valley Theatre; 988-6131

Jeff Baron's "Visiting Mr. Green" is a remarkably effective first play that succeeds by forcing together dissimilar characters who find a common denominator.

Mr. Green is an 86-year-old Jewish widower who lives a reclusive life following his wife's recent death. The other half of this odd couple is a young business executive who is struggling to accept his homosexuality. A near-miss auto accident and a court order forces Ross Carpenter into weekly visits to someone he almost killed. At times, it's difficult to tell which man suffers more from the sentence.

While Ross is estranged from his own family, Mr. Green let's slip the existence of a long-banished daughter, exiled for marrying outside her father's faith. Ultimately, the play turns into two parallel psychic journeys as the old man and the young man re-evaluate the consequences of their choices.

The evening's fun comes from the character clash as Mr. Green's crotchety stubbornness runs up against Ross' exasperated persistence. Director Scott Rogers nicely blends this mix, and Glenn Cannon and Brian Kevin Parker give it delightful honesty.

Cannon masters the old man's mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, giving him the perspective of a stiffly moving snapping turtle who bites at anything soft that approaches. Responding to questions with only more questions, he's a slippery target for anyone's good intentions: "You hit me with your car and now you're standing in my kitchen yelling at me?"

Ross' visits become a last lifeline to someone lacking human connection. Parker effectively shows Ross' genuine concern for the old man and his realization — that Ross lives within a shell of his own.

As their short confrontations and emotional probing lead to mutual understanding and support, both characters find growth and strength.