Lips peek through a white-painted face just aching to talk. If the pantomime could, he would speak of society's whitewash. He would not be melodramatic. He would convey his truths with witty humor.
In England, a pantomime is low-brow humor that's light on the surface, even though actors James Bowen and Tim Jacobs said the play can't totally be taken at face value. The play "Pantomime" comes to BoarsHead Theatre, 425 S. Grand Ave., Lansing tonight.
Jacobs plays Harry Trewe, a bar owner of a rundown resort in Tobago who decides to put on a performance of "Robinson Crusoe" because Trewe feels isolated — he misses his ex-wife and departed son.
The play ends up creating more controversy than Harry intends when the roles of Friday, Robinson Crusoe's island companion, and Crusoe are flip-flopped.
Bowen plays Jackson Phillip, a calypso singer turned handyman who moved to the island for peace. He wants to help Trewe come to terms with his losses and racism.
Trewe looks at "Robinson Crusoe" as a romantic play while Philip looks at it as if Crusoe was real — a man who led his life in the environment he was thrown into.
"It's about loss … and change and growth … it's that onion layer and making all these connections together and having the audience be entertained and challenged at the same time," Jacobs said.
The play is in real time so there are no scene breaks, flashbacks or any other lapse in movement. The actors described it as a train — they're riding along and hoping there isn't a wreck.
Bowen, who acted in a production of "Driving Miss Daisy," said he is well aware of the stress that comes with being in a small-cast show that's in real time. He said that you're forced to stay focused on the character and the lines.
Bowen and Jacobs hope they can keep on track and convey the humor of the script effectively.
"It may be one of those three o' clock funnies," Jacobs said, meaning the audience might not get it until later that night when the story's humor just hits them.
They said humor and unpacking the script is subjective.
"Because there are so many ideas brought forth, you could probably have two people sitting side-by-side that see it differently - you can have validity in different points of view," Bowen said.
The show runs until March 19. Performances are at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $21-$33. For more information, call (517) 484-7805.
