“One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” an intense drama at Ivoryton

IVORYTON — It’s a titanic clash of wills and opposing agendas in the Ivoryton Playhouse’s production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” written by Dale Wasserman and based on the novel by Ken Kesey.
The play is set in a mental institution in Oregon where inmates get along with their medicated humdrum lives until one day a real wild man, the recidivist Randall Patrick McMurphy, arrives.
McMurphy, played by the energetic Daniel Robert Sullivan, enters their sedated, suppressed world and changes it for all of them forever.
I hope I’m not giving too much of the plot away since this play has been around since the 1960s and was made into the 1975 film starring Jack Nicholson as McMurphy.
McMurphy seems to have all the answers to their problems and for a while his ideas appear to be the way to go. But in the end, institutionalization in the name of mental health wins.
Here, Sullivan is dominant, but doesn’t overwhelm the other characters, including the troubled Chief Bromden, played by the booming Solomon Landerman, who in many ways is the character who comes the farthest, from catatonic to free, thanks to McMurphy’s sacrifice.
Nurse Ratched, played by the wide-eyed, rigid Andrea Maulella, controls the group through subtle humiliation and emasculation, but she doesn’t have that sadistic, smirky smile that was so creepy and effective in the movie with Louise Fletcher. Small point, but I would also prefer to see her in white nursing shoes instead of white heeled dancer shoes.
The supporting cast is spot on, with the stammering mama’s boy Billy Bibbit played by Jonathan Fielding, and the educated but self-doubting Dale Harding, played by Neal Mayer.
Oddly enough, my favorite parts in the show are the times when Lesley Billingslea as the aid walks about the stage with a flashlight singing to himself. It feels strangely compelling and unexpectedly interesting.
Directed by Peter Lockyer, they use a projection technique that shows geese flying, a baseball game, and other projections to excellent effect, with projection design by Tiffany Hopkins. It adds an extra and welcome dimension to the show.
There are some adult situations and profanity, making this play unsuitable for young children.
It’s a tough story that seems on the surface to end tragically, but is a validation of the possibility of change and growth.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST

3 Stars
Location: Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton, CT
Production: Written by Dale Wasserman. Based on the novel by Ken Kesey. Directed by Peter Lockyer. Scenic design by Daniel Nischan. Stage manager T. Rick Jones. Lighting design by Doug Harry. Projection design by Tiffany Hopkins. Costume design by Vivianna Lamb.
Running time: 2 hours including plus 15-minute intermission.
Show Times: Wednesday and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through Nov. 21.
Tickets: $38 for adults, $33 for seniors, $20 for students, and $15 for children 12 and under. Call the box office at 860-767-7318, or visit their website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Daniel Robert Sullivan … Randall Patrick McMurphy
Andrea Maulella … Nurse Ratched
Solomon Landerman … Chief Bromden
Neal Mayer … Dale Harding
Jonathan Fielding … Billy Bibbit
George Lombardo … Charles Arkins Cheswick III
Douglas Sobon … Frank Scanlon
Nicholas R. Camp … Anthony Martini
John Samela … Ruckly
Keith Eugene Brayne … Dr. Spivey
Bethany Fitzgerald … Candy
Jenna Sisson … Sandra
Jovan Davis … Aide Warren
Lesley Billingslea … Aide Williams, Turkle