Show #55 "The Cider House Rules: Part Two" at Book-It Repertory Theatre

As my son Tim said last evening as we watched Part Two of "The Cider House Rules," it isn't like we were watching another play. We were actually watching one continuous play from our previous viewing of "The Cider House Rules: Part One." Sort of like seeing a 7 hour play with a 3 month-long intermission.

But, I couldn't help but see it as another play. Yes, it had most of the same characters in it, and it picked up where the other left off. But I liked this Part Two even a bit more than I liked Part One. And that's saying a lot, because I really liked Part One back when I saw it last July.

Part Two of "The Cider House Rules" is my favorite part of the story. Homer Wells' life developments and the poignant story of his fellow cider house-ers (the Black itinerant farm workers) is the part that moved me the most. Not to say that other storylines were not moving, but there are just certain themes that touch me more than others.

Take the theme of parent-child relationships. In Part Two, Homer's transition into fatherhood and even painful relationships such as Mr. Rose's with his daughter Rose were powerful themes for me.

Dr. Larch's "honorary" father-son relationship with Homer is summed up so nicely in his statement, "You are my work of art, Homer. Everything else has been just a job." That utterance so eloquently put into words how I feel about my own beloved sons. Nothing else I ever do in my life will compare in importance to raising Tim and David.

And the theme of class, race and privilege was an intriguing thread in the story that was played out in the orchard and in the cider house. Again, this is a theme that I constantly deal with in my own life.

I have no real commonality with the characters in this story, either in regards to race, geography or general family/lack of family background. But this story amazingly spoke the story of my life. Perhaps indirectly, but the thoughts and feelings were still there.

Theatre has that power. People from completely disparate places in life find that what is in their hearts are similar to the other. Their stories are totally different, but at the same time, they are the same.

I guess I've experienced this same phenomenon while watching movies and TV shows, but (if you hadn't already guessed) I prefer to experience this live and in person at the theater. It is somehow more potent when seen with live actors on stage in front of you.

Why? It's because there is also an unspoken relationship between actors and audience. This relationship cannot really happen with a filmed performance.

So...I liked Part Two a bit more than Part One. Oh yes, Part Two had one other thing going for it: it gave us a sense of closure, while still saying "to be continued." LIfe is like that as well.

Photography courtesy of Book-It Repertory Theatre

Show #34 "The Cider House Rules: Part One" at Book-It Repertory Theatre

Sigh.....as a middle-aged female who is trying (without success) to get into better physical shape, I wish that I could burn calories and fat vicariously by watching active folks run around and work very hard.

If that were the case, I would now be in top athletic condition.

Sadly, that is not how it works. But, even as my sagging body sat in a cushy theater seat all evening, I felt as though I had had a work out just by watching all the hyper-activity on stage at the Seattle Center House Theater last evening. It was exhilarating. It was exhausting. It was great theatre.

So many times, I hear people say that good theatre doesn't TELL you the story, it SHOWS you the story. Whereas this is true, it usually makes folks leery of any play that has too much narration and the "breaking of the fourth wall."

But, narration is what Book-It does. It takes a piece of literature and, more or less, reads the story to you. Of course, there are actors who are moving (quite quickly and athletically) about the stage illustrating the story as the they are telling it. There are costumes, props, basic set pieces (just enough to tell the story) and light and sound cues to go with it.

But the narration and dialogue? All taken straight from the original source.

I must admit, I was a bit hesitant about seeing a show with Book-It. I wasn't sure I would be engaged in the story the whole evening, knowing that this is how they presented theatre. I feared I might be subjected to an evening of "book on tape" or something as dull as that.

Wow....I was totally wrong. Thank God for that.

In order to make copious narration be engaging and effective, the actors had to work at a brisk pace for the entire 3 hour show. Scene changes had to occur quickly, with set pieces placed on stage at a sprinter's speed. The actors' entrances were immediate and fast. The dialogue (and monologues) were swift, energetic and intense. What an athletic event!

"The Cider House Rules" has been divided into two parts, in order to include all the important and poignant details of the novel that the movie version edited out. That was a wise decision.

We were so wrapped up in Homer Well's story during his years at the St. Cloud's orphanage that we hated to end the tale there. Part Two will play in September.

We can't wait.

Graphics courtesy of Book-It Repertory Theatre