JSU prepares for a
Savage Performance
by Jesse Hall
The JSU Drama department will be doing a
three day run of the John Patrick play The Curious Savage. The play opens on the Oct. 17, and
the final curtain will be on Oct. 20.
The story follows Mrs. Ethel P. Savage, a woman who
just lost her husband and now finds herself in “The
Cloisters,” a sanatorium, where she’s been placed by her
three step-children who want her to confess the location of her late husband’s fortune.
While living at The Cloisters, Mrs. Savage comes into
contact with cast of characters that range from a compulsive liar to a nurse who works there to stay near her
husband. The play is comedy that has been rather successful since its first performance in 1950.
The Curious Savage is the first production directed by
Professor Michael Boynton, the newest addition to
JSU’s Drama department. Professor Boynton happily
answered a few questions in regards to the play and his
position on theater in general.
characterization, yet with an old-fashioned, almost nostalgic sense of morality and wholesomeness.
IM –Could you briefly describe how you came to choose
the cast of eleven? Was there any one character you
wanted to get exactly right or someone who popped
into your head when you decided on this play?
MB -Tough question! Casting is always extremely difficult. The process is long and arduous, both for myself
and the actors who have to put themselves out there on
the line. We held auditions where actors had to perform
monologues, and then the next day we held callbacks,
where I put the actors through their paces with cold
readings. I was impressed with the overall caliber of the
JSU community, so I had a number of tough choices to
make. And as every character is extremely important in
this ensemble-driven show, I had to ensure that everyone not only fit the part and had the potential to pull it
off, but also that they had chemistry working together.
Always a challenge!
IM – Is there anything the audience at large should be
Insight Magazine – How many plays have you directed
in the past?
Michael Boynton - I’ve directed a wide variety of plays
at a number of professional theaters, especially in New
York and in Washington D.C. I’ve directed old standards
and new works, classical and modern pieces, wacky
farces and profound tragedies--everything from avantgarde performance art to Shakespeare to Golden Age
musicals.?
IM – Were any of them in the same vein of comedy or
theme as The Curious Savage??
MB - Yes. The play is very much a crowd-pleasing standard, especially with high school and community theater companies. In many ways, it’s a classic post-WWII
American comedy in form and structure: farcical and
whimsical in nature, a hint of wackiness in terms of
INSIGHT
October 2013
15