Stoneham's 'Owen Meany' Needs More than a Prayer

"A Prayer for Owen Meany"

Written by Simon Bent, based on the book by John Irving, directed by Weylin Symes, scenic design by Audra Avery, costume design by Seth Bodie, lighting design by Gianni Downs, sound design by David Wilson

Cast in order of appearance:

Richard Arum as Dan

Owen Doyle as Mr. Meany

Jon L. Egging as Reverend Merrill

Christine Hamet as Girl One/Sam White/Mrs. Jarvit

Caitlin Lowans as Tabitha

Sharon Mason as Mrs. Meany

Cristi Miles as Mary Beth/Mrs. Lish/Jarvit Girl

Floyd Richardson as Mr. Fish/Chief Pike/Major Rawls

Stephen Russell as Rector Wiggins/Dr. Dolder

Ken Schatz as Owen Meany

Cory Scott as Harold/Larry Lish/Jarvit Boy

Ann Marie Shea as Grandmother

Gerard Slattery as Boy One/Coach Chickering/Randy White/Mr. Jarvit

Timothy Smith as John

Bobbie Steinbach as Lydia

Lisa Tucker as Barb Wiggins

Performances: Now through January 29

Box Office: 781-279-2200 or www.stonehamtheatre.org

It takes a delicate hand to adapt the works of John Irving to the stage or screen. His quirky characters, convoluted moral platitudes, bizarre humor and ironic themes can seem ridiculous if not portrayed with heartfelt truth. In his novels Irving takes everyday life in small town New Hampshire and comically twists it askew to reveal the hidden, and often painful, realities beneath a well-mannered surface. While seeming to mock his novels' oddball inhabitants with lighthearted satire, he is actually skewering the political inequities and social hypocrisies that disenfranchise individuals who are the least bit different from the accepted norm.

Movie versions of his acclaimed novels "The World According to Garp," "The Hotel New Hampshire," and "The Cider House Rules" have all been beautifully translated to the screen with smart screenplays, brilliant direction, and stellar casts. They have all preserved Irving's distorted but ultimately respectful view of people trying to find themselves amidst chaos and confusion.

Unfortunately, his soul-searching and self-absorbed "A Prayer for Owen Meany" currently on stage at the Stoneham Theatre in Massachusetts does not benefit from any of those talents. Simon Bent's incoherent and preachy script, Weylin Symes' stilted and inconsistent direction, and the cast members' generally cartoonish approach to their portrayals all combine to make this a very heavy handed production.

At the center of the story – set in a span of approximately 20 years before, during and after the Vietnam War – is Owen Meany, a disproportionately tiny boy whose vocal chords are so underdeveloped that he needs to shout in order to be heard. His parents, teachers, ministers and schoolmates all believe he is, at best, an aberration and, at worst, a product of the devil. Owen believes he is an instrument of God. You see, he has recurring dreams and prophetic visions that indicate that he will one day lose his own life while saving a group of Vietnamese children. He believes that his unusual voice will be a major factor in shaping that destiny.

Owen's best friend, John, struggles to decide what he believes. An orphaned youth and the distraught narrator of the tale, he begins by saying, "Owen was the instrument of my mother's death and the reason I believe in God." Over the course of two incongruent acts that include many flashbacks, plot twists, and the introduction – and sudden disappearance – of a host of inconsequential characters, we learn how and why John has reached this inevitable conclusion.

Both Ken Schatz as Owen Meany and Timothy Smith as John make valiant attempts to humanize their characters. In the second act, in particular, once the clutter of the first act's unnecessary exposition, overused narration, and underdeveloped relationships are finally foregone, the two tap into an inner core of real angst and intimacy and finally express potent sincerity.

The rest of the cast is given no opportunity to touch us in any real way. Adults playing children are painfully – and loudly – overdrawn, acting more like mentally challenged three-year-olds than the sniping Sunday school students and, later, sarcastic teenagers they are supposed to be. School administrators, psychiatrists, and clergy come across as stereotypical buffoons, while Owens' depressed and surly parents seem like they just stepped out of "American Gothic." Caitlin Lowans as the ill-fated Tabitha seems more like John's sister than mother, and the local favorite Bobbie Steinbach is completely wasted in a trivialized role of the smart-mouthed, legless and wheelchair bound cook, Lydia.

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" tries very hard to say something important, but in the absence of an engaging script or a clear directorial vision, its shouts sadly fall on deaf ears. The miracle at the core of John Irving's book may have convinced John the protagonist that there is a God. Those who bear witness to this Stoneham Theatre production, however, may be more inclined to identify with doubting Thomas.