‘Dining Room’ chronicles joys, sorrows of life

WINTERPORT – The largest room in most houses built before 1960 is the dining room. Before the days of television consoles and rec rooms, before entertainment centers, recliner chairs and TV trays allowed families to huddle together in “the den,” the dining room was the heart of home.

Winterport Open Stage’s production of A.R. Gurney’s “The Dining Room” chronicles the decline of that room as the hub of family life. First performed in 1981, the play is a series of 18 overlapping vignettes that take place in the dining room of a well-to-do household. Eleven actors portray 50 characters ranging in age from 7 to 70.

“The Dining Room” is the 20th play produced by WOS since its founding in 1994. The organization has earned its reputation for quality approaching that of nearby professional companies. Like previous offerings, this production is a cut above the average community theater production.

Director Erica Farrar finds the humanity and humor in each of the playwright’s short pieces. The best example of her delicate touch is the birthday party scene. Not only is it funny because of the way it is written, but also watching four adult actors, two of whom are senior citizens, be children is simply hilarious.

Farrar is able to mine poignancy from other scenes without allowing them to become maudlin. The Thanksgiving dinner vignette, where an old woman’s dementia keeps her from recognizing her children or her surroundings, is one of the play’s most memorable scenes because of the emotional balance Farrar’s cast achieves.

For the most part, actors perform equally well, but Philip Price and Charlotte Herbold stand out. Both are equally adept at seamlessly portraying the many age spans Gurney requires. The oldest cast members, the two create great depth in each character they portray.

Dan Williams’ bluster as a man who defends his brother’s honor, Pret Bjorn’s intensely serious college student studying the eating habits of WASPs, and Jenny Hart’s overwhelmed daughter in crisis are also portrayals seared in theatergoers’ memories.

Susan H. Carpenter, Kimberly A. Horn, Kurt Madden, Don Sleight, Rose Marie Sweeney and Anne Tatgenhorst round out the cast. The set, designed by Robert DesLauriers, works well on the low-ceilinged school stage.

In Gurney’s chronicle of family life, there are bits and pieces of every American family. Farrar and her talented cast capture all the funny, tragic and bittersweet moments that have been played out in millions of dining rooms over the past century.

“The Dining Room” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Wagner Middle School in Winterport. For more information, call 941-9151 or visit the WOS Web site at www.winterportopenstage.com.