Review: SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION Comes Together at The Barn Players in Mission, Kansas

Imaginative and innovative use of multi-media makes Six Degrees of Separation a unique must see at The Barn Players in Mission, Kansas. David Martin directs Six Degrees of Separation, written by John Guare, which opened on Friday March 29 and runs through June 14. Vida Bikales, President of The Barn Players, stated the Barn hired Martin to direct the production due to his vision of the use of multi-media in the production. She said his use of video saved numerous set changes that would have been costly and time consuming.

Six Degrees of Separation premiered at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in the Lincoln Center on May 16, 1990 and opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on Broadway in November of 1990. In 1991, the production received nominations for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and Tony Award for Best Play. That same year the show won The New York Drama Critics' Circle award.

Six Degrees of Separation is based on the theory that everyone is connected to any other person in six or fewer steps. Frigyes Karinthy originally conceived the theory in 1929 that was made popular by Guare in his play. The real-life story of con man David Hampton, who convinced numerous people that he was the son of actor Sidney Poitier, was the influence behind the play.

Fascinating and visionary are two ways to describe Martin's use of video. The production flows from scene to scene without the momentary stopping of the play to change scenery. Flan takes Paul to a bedroom for him to use as the scene unfolds, the two walking down a hallway, on a large video screen above the doorway on stage. Some of the actors appear in the production, Brent Custer as Rick and Laura Schwartz as Elizabeth, on video and not on stage.

Matthew King is phenomenal as Paul, the young black man who cons Flan, a well-to-do art dealer and his wife among others. King recently said, "One of my goals this year was to break away from musicals and be involved in more plays." What appears to be a promising journey has begun with his powerful performance in Six Degrees of Separation. He stated the play was made more difficult by the integration of the video scenes. King appears later this year in the Spinning Tree Theatre production of West Side Story.

Peter Leondedis is magnificent as Flan, first succumbing to Paul's charm and then resentful of the treachery that has befell him and his wife Ouisa, superbly played by Kay Noonan. Both give strong performances that bring an air of realism to the set. Ouisa continues to submit to the charming con man, wanting to help him if he will only turn himself in, while Flan taunts her wanting to set a police trap for the man, unwilling to forgive the man he feels betrayed them.

The splendid supporting cast includes fine performances by Craig Aikman, Natalie Dickter, Tracy Fox, Derrick Freeman, Steven Ansel James, Robert Moore, Tina Morrison, Andy Penn, Chris Roady, Andy Tyhurst, James Wearing, and Claire Williams. Special admiration goes out to set designer Richard J. Burt, who transforms the small stage to a beautiful upscale apartment.

Six Degrees of Separation continues at The Barn Players through June 14. Purchase tickets at the box office the date of the performance or online at The Barn Players website. Photo courtesy of The Barn Players.