Review: AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE at Union Arts Center

Sometimes, Dear Readers, a play can come along that feels so topical, and so raw, that you may walk out of the theater feeling uneasy.  And even more so when you realize that play was originally written in 1882 Norway.  Such a play is the new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People”, currently playing at Union Arts Center (formerly ACT).  And even with that feel of “ick” as we walked out, I was still thrilled with the knowledge of what theatrical powerhouses we have in Seattle and how, when they come together, can put on such a solid and resonant production.

With an adaptation from Amy Herzog, we enter a small Norwegian town that is having a slight boom of prosperity due to their “healing waters” and the new baths and spa resort they’ve opened.  But when Dr. Thomas Stockmann (Aaron Blakely), the medical director of the spa, comes across an unsettling discovery that could endanger the people, the local newspaper editor Hovstad (Ricky Spaulding), his idealist and somewhat radical reporter Billing (Josh Kenji Langager), and their printer and town leader Aslaksen (Robert Shampain) are initially behind him.  They want to print his report and findings and take down the corruption in their town.  However, the Doctor just wants to get the word out so his brother, Peter Stockmann (Bradford Farwell), one of the owners of the spa and the mayor of the town, will surely fix the issue.  Sadly, we soon find the wealthy and powerful don’t necessarily want to do the “right thing” as the mayor, using fear and intimidation, manages to get the entire town on his side, threatening the reputation and lives of the Doctor and his family.  But will the Doctor abandon his own principles to fall in line?
So many times I found myself relating the issues in the play to the issues of today.  I felt like I was watching the news with powerful people trying to retain their power and silence their critics to the point of inciting violence. It was almost a little too prescient.  But then, as humans, we tend toward the same mistakes and atrocities over and over.  And that’s the beauty of shows like this to call that out. 

Director Victor Pappas has crafted this show like an out-of-control locomotive, with a pace that thrillingly keeps chugging along faster and faster to certain doom.  It was a delight to watch as I found myself leaning forward in my seat to take it all in.  And the cast he has assembled is pure talent.  From the moment Alanah Pascual steps on stage as the Doctor’s daughter, Petra, she owns it.  With such an amazing stage presence, we want to listen.  Equally wonderful are the trio of idealists who quickly abandon their ideals.  Spaulding plays the editor with such a thoughtful and subtly powerful air, which is countered well by the overt youthful radicalism of Langager and then to complete the triangle, we have the meek and eager to please Shampain who brought in some wonderful moments of levity.  And in the vein of “there are no small parts”, I must mention the gravitas of Shawn Belyea who fleetingly breezes in as the Doctor’s Father-in-Law, Morten Kiil, only to command every moment with bluster, drop his ignorance and destruction, and breeze right on out. 

But this show belongs to the brothers.  I’m always thrilled when we get Blakely or Farwell in something, but to get them together and squaring off against each other is a gift.  Farwell brings in the villain of the piece going just shy of twirling his mustache and bellowing a hearty “Mwahahaha”.  But he does it with such an unassuming strength that it sneaks up and stabs you right in the heart without you knowing it was coming.  And Blakely manages a stunner of a performance as the man we all know is right, with his morality, knowledge, and common sense, but who cannot seem to catch a break in the face of such wanton evil.  And even as he brings in monologue after monologue, he does it with wonderful highs and lows, infectious laughs, and brilliantly expressive face, that we can’t help but hang on every word. 

This is certainly one of those shows that may not be “fun” on the surface, it may be like eating your vegetables, but they’ve done it so masterfully that it’s your veggies but covered in a delicious sauce that you gobble it up.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give “An Enemy of the People” at Union Arts Center a resounding and eerily prophetic YAY+.  But not to worry, even with all its shining the spotlight on the worst of humanity, you still leave with that glimmer of hope.