'Harvey' Hops Up and Down—Then Up Again

All right, admit it. There are some of you out there who have imaginary friends. Maybe a rabbit a bear, a dog, a cat, or a Barbie Doll. You know, something (or someone) who taps you on the shoulder every so often and gives you advice. Right?

Well, if you believe Elwood P. Dowd, the featured character in Harvey, having invisible friends is normal, so believing in a 6-foot tall rabbit named Harvey shouldn’t seem strange.

Sound interesting? Does it ever, and thanks to the High Street Arts Center’s production of Harvey, you can go see for yourself whether Elwood’s pooka friend is real or not. But be careful. There’s more going on here than meets the eye.

Elwood, played by John Eslick, is a man who is quite friendly and always willing to introduce his friend Harvey to anyone who comes along. Elwood lives by a philosophy that he learned from his mother. Quoting Ovid, he recalls what she told him: “In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.”

It turns out Elwood and Harvey are the perfect team. Elwood is pleasant. Harvey is smart.

Unfortunately for Elwood’s sister, Veta Louise Simmons (Juanita Seavey), and her daughter, Myrtle Mae Simmons (Judy Diderrich), Elwood is a monumental embarrassment. So much so that they decide to have him committed to a local sanitarium called Chumley’s Rest. By doing so, Veta hopes to gain Elwood’s power of attorney and grab ownership of his rather large estate.

But for Veta and Myrtle, things don’t go quite as planned. Despite their scheming, Elwood and Harvey seem to lead charmed lives, a fact that even Veta admits has something to do with Harvey himself. After all, he’s very attached to Elwood, and a lucky (and smart) rabbit will do just about anything to help a friend.

This production is a dramatic change for the HSAC. It’s not a musical. It has a small cast, two sets, two acts, four scenes. This puts the onus square on the actors to bring enough continuous energy to the stage to pull this off. When the props are stripped away, it’s the acting that must shine.

Does it work? Yes and no. There are moments of joy and moments when the energy seems a little flat. Call it an ocean ride where the waves go up and down and the audience must get from one wave to the other to stay interested. In this production, the best parts seem to rise in the middle, then fall off, then rise again at the end.

At the heart of this production is Elwood himself. Elwood is a tough part to play. The audience is constantly wondering: Is he crazy, distracted, psychic or just a nice guy who’s a little odd?

The play seems to suggest all of the above, and the actor playing Elwood must straddle all of these convincingly. Eslick does that well and even throws in a little Jimmy Stewart flair for good measure.

The strongest of the supporting players include Dale Alpert as Dr. William R. Chumley, Judy Diderrich as Myrtle Mae Simmons, and Jim Diderrich as Duane Wilson. Each of these actors carry his or her part well and keeps the pace of the play moving along.

If you’re a literary fan, you will understand why Mary Chase won a Pulitzer Prize for this play. It’s the verbal jousting that makes it so much fun. It speaks to the best of the 1940s comedies that thrived on poking fun at human pomposity and density and how they seem intertwined.

Words that are spoken but not understood; People who talk but don’t listen—It’s the stuff of life, and Harvey seems to recognize that words, imagination and reality are not separate entities.

If you’re up for something a little different and enjoy a really good script, Harvey is a nice change of pace from HSAC’s normal large-scale musicals. It’s a quieter, gentler production. It’s also a risk for which the producers should be commended.

As for Harvey, even though he is invisible, he still ends up stealing the show. That darn rabbit. What will he do next?

Harvey will be at the HSAC through May 6. For ticket information, visit Art Center’s website or call 805-529-8700.