Jack Goes Boating, Artists Repertory Theater (Grade B+)

written By Bob Glaudini
Directed by Alan Nause

Cast:
Jack   .....   Tod Van Voris
Clyde   .....   John San Sicolas
Connie   .....   Emily Sahler
Lucy   .....  Tai Sammons

sez says:  This is a sweet work that mimics an increasingly familiar story-line. It is represented by such works as "Forrest Gump", and Kurt Vonnegut's "Galapagos", and the best selling  "All We Need to Know We Learned in Kindergarten"  etc.  It is about how those who are 'slow' --(or in the case of Vonnegut, those with slightly smaller brains) understanding, better than the rest of us, the world and what is really important. Jack wants a girlfriend and he is willing to learn new things and to take his time to develop a relationship. ie:  He will learn how to swim before he goes boating.  His more "sophisticated" friends don't have the success that will be Jack's  --they have outwitted themselves.  Ok--it is a sweet story and nicely done.  But is it true?  Does one have to be a nerd, or a simpleton  to figure out how to be a happy, moral, successful person? 

The production of this story was strong--the weakest link was Van Voris. We have seen him in roles where he has excelled.  But it seems he if being pushed into territory for which he is not well suited.  He played the part as if he were a bit bored by it. It is not so much that he was bad--he just was not as great as the others were in the production we saw .. maybe it was just a bad night for him.

mjc says: It was a nice little romantic story from a male perspective about just trying to do the right thing with another person.  Good acting by all but Jack.