The Umbrella Stage Company presents ‘The Minutes’ by Tracy Letts. Directed by Scott Edmiston. Produced by Brian Boruta. Sound Design by James Cannon. Lighting Design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal. Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland. Costume Design by Bethany Mullins. Through March 24 at Umbrella Arts Center, Concord.
By Linda Chin
Part dark comedy, part political satire, part Hitchcockian mystery, every minute of Tracy Letts’ well-crafted ninety-minute play The Minutes is chock-full of intrigue, clever banter, and, until the final few minutes of the final scene – laugh-out-loud humor. Set in the small town of Big Cherry, USA, in the present day, audience members are flies on the walls of the architecturally majestic council chamber room lined with portraits of great white male mayors (scenic design by Janie E. Howland).
In the trusted hands of director Scott Edmiston and producer Brian Boruta, the stellar cast of eleven performs The Umbrella Stage Company’s The Minutes to sheer perfection. A play about what goes on behind the doors of a closed session of a City Council meeting, the actors portray the mayor, clerk, and nine councilors, seven men and two women. Richard Snee plays the cantankerous but charming oldest council member who dozes off between complaints, June Kfoury the second longest, a very polite, clearly privileged grand dame, Julie Perkins the befuddled Ms. Maltz, who is on medications.
The play opens with newbie Mr. Peel (Ryan MacPherson) trying to catch up on what he missed at last week’s meeting. Peel is new to the council, to the town of Big Cherry, and to parenthood. A pediatric dentist, Peel has been trying to become more socially connected/fit in, but getting answers to seemingly simple questions is like pulling teeth. He shares his reasons for running for council with clerk Ms. Johnson (Eliza Fichter): “ I never considered public service before then. But after my girl was born, I thought, well, I can sit around complaining about everything or I can pitch in and make Big Cherry a better place to live. Try.”
Flanked by clerk Johnson and councilor Breeding (Dan Kelly), the current great white male Mayor Superba (Steve Barkhimer) raps on his gavel and the meeting begins with roll call, with the group all joining in prayer, thanking the football team (‘The Savages’) on their recent victory, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, then approving last week’s minutes and reviewing business on the meeting docket. My bad; there are only 8 councilors present. Mr. Carp’s chair is empty. Also missing are the minutes of last week’s meeting.
While Peel remains persistent in asking why, business continues as usual. The group reviews proposals up for discussion, including an accessible fountain introduced by Mr. Hanratty (Scot Colford), whose sister has physical disabilities and is more socially progressive than his peers. Mr. Blake (Damon Singletary), who is the only BIPOC in the group, pushes for approval of an activity at the annual heritage festival called Lincoln Smackdown. By being themselves and having no filters, the other members show their true colors, including the self-serving, aptly named Mr. Assalone (Jason Myatt).
The council meeting goes from serious to seriously silly when the city officials don costumes, hats, and props to re-enact the Battle at Mackie Creek of 1872 – the story of how Little Debbie Farmer, who was kidnapped by a group of Sioux savages, was heroically rescued by Sergeant Otto Pym and returned to her loving parents and community to show Peel (and the audience) how the town of Big Cherry came to be named. This scene was a dazzling demonstration of the actors’ skills in razor-sharp, raucous, and subtle comedy, as well as in playing mysterious and menacing characters. I’m still smiling at the prim and proper Mrs. Innes’ declaration that she loves “Abraham Lincoln. And violence.”
Due to Councilor Peel’s persistence in unpeeling the layers of fiction vs. fact, the missing minutes are recovered, and in another re-enactment that is not humorous but horrifying, Mr. Carp (Jeremiah Kissel) appears to show us what really happened the night of October 26th.
In case you have doubts about heading out to the suburbs, Umbrella Stage Company may be considered a sleeper, but The Minutes is not the first play the company has produced that brings bold, daring content to Greater Boston audiences and provides opportunities for diverse theater artists to shine. The Minutes is thought-provoking, intentionally so, and will stay with you for many minutes, hours, and days afterwards. To quote Mr. Peel, “I believe in inclusion,” and after seeing this production, I too can, well, “sit around complaining about everything or I can pitch in and make [our world] a better place to live.” For tickets and information, go to: https://theumbrellaarts.org/production/minutes
