John Lithgow Lives Stories by Heart

Stories by Heart
conceived, written & performed by John Lithgow
Mark Taper Forum
through February 13

Only an actor of the calibre of John Lithgow - who remains a class act after almost 40 years in the theatre - could mount the very simplistic Stories by Heart on the large Taper stage. Ideal for a smaller, more intimate venue, Stories becomes more than a retelling of two classic tales, one by P.G. Wodehouse and the other by American journalist Ring Lardner. In the hands of Lithgow the art of storytelling is put on a pedestal. We all know how vital it is to a child's education, but it can truly enrich one's life, regardless of age, and, in fact, it has been proven to encourage, nurture and increase the quality of the very process of living. Quite a feat! Well, Lithgow, self described exuberant actor, makes it ebulliently unfold.

Act I is a retelling of Wodehouse's "Uncle Fred Flits By" (1935), a very humorous tale of the misadventures of two Brits, an uncle and nephew who pretend to be who they are not - invoking such fun and mayhem in helping to guarantee the nuptials of a distant relation to a lower working class man, who jellies eels for a livelihood. It's a treat when all the crusty, eccentric characters, even a parrot, are played out with great vocal and facial expressions and graceful body movements by Lithgow. He has a field day prancing around the stage in the various characters, entertaining most of the audience as much as he did when he once read the story to an ailing father and mother but a few years ago. In fact, as a result of the endeavor, his father laughed for the first time in months, showed the will to live and went on thriving for a year and a half longer than doctors expected. The story worked a miracle. When Lithgow begins, he questions why people like stories. Why do some like reading them and others listening to them? We learn that sometimes, apart from the whole entertainment game, their effects are much greater, bordering on holistic.

Act II begins with a sung ditty or jingle about adultery and murder "Eggs and Marrow Bones". Lithgow revs up the spirit of the audience to join in singing the jingle, setting a darkly humorous tone for the story to follow: Lardner's "Haircut" (1925). It takes place in a small town in Michigan where a local barber recounts a tale of good and evil deeds. He talks and talks, gossiping about a new coroner and his attraction to a pretty young gal who ends up being mercilessly bullied by some of the town's mean-spirited practical jokesters. Miming a shave and haircut on one customer, Lithgow's jovial barber, with an unforgettable boisterous laugh, becomes an easily recognizable character in most people's lives. Most everyone has known someone like him at one time or other. Lithgow introduces the piece as the American counterpart to the Wodehouse tale in spirit, and points to a time in his early life when he himself experienced some innocent and fun but embarrassing bullying.

That's it! End of stories! And with no director credited, Lithgow trusts his impulses implicitly. Yes, he is an actor's dream and should be seen by every young actor in the business today. Michael C. Hall, Showtime's Dexter, was sitting a couple of rows in front of me on opening night, and I couldn't help but notice how much he, like me, was enjoying Lithgow's every nuance. There was hardly a false move to be found throughout the two hours. Perfect for touring college and university audiences, Stories by Heart will bring out the child in most people who couldn't wait for their parents to tell them a bedtime story. It's good for what ails you!