Early Clouds threaten but don't obstruct the full View of the Harbor

Written by Richard Dresser. Directed by Ron May. Actors Theatre, Stage West, Herberger Theater Center, Phoenix, Arizona. October 24-November 9, 2008.

A sluggish start filled with unfocused and uncharismatic ensemble work and direction nearly robs the Actors Theatre’s production of Richard Dresser’s trilogy finale, A View of the Harbor. Fortunately, soon after the intermission, the seasoned and talented cast clears away their earlier foggy faults and complimented by a fluent fellowship between the scenic and lighting designs, Dresser’s examination on happiness in America blooms with efflorescence on the Actors Theatre’s stage.
After hearing news that his father survived a stroke, the enigmatic Nick (Christian Miller), pressured by his girlfriend of three months, the peppery Paige (Melody Butiu), reluctantly revisits his childhood home in New England to help his sensitized sister, Kathryn (Cathy Dresbach), with their ailing furtive father, Daniel (Ben Tyler). Nick decides to invite Paige to come with him but soon after their arrival to the weed-ridden cliff-side home, she quickly learns the seeds of Nick’s escapist personality and the family secrets that stemmed his runaway from his roots.
Although many of the principal problems that injure the first act branch from Dresser’s choppy dialogue and jarring scene transitions, Director Ron May’s awkward staging and arrhythmic tempo does little to solidify the show’s beginnings. Too often the few intimate and truthful character moments are overshadowed by the overall disconnected character work by the ensemble. However, the focused collaborative work in the show’s second act showcases the powerful potential of this gifted ensemble. Miller’s Nick devours the emotional versatility his character craves, Butiu’s Paige shocks with her crafty character arc, Dresbach’s kaleidoscope Kathryn and Tyler’s tyrant Daniel concretize audience catharsis.
With the unbalanced work of the actors and the director, the production does find fluidity in its pertinent production design. Kimb Williamson’s purposely skewed scenic design coupled with Paul Black’s lustrous lighting dawns the wretched and twisted world of Dresser’s vision. At times, the collaborative between the actors and the design elements illuminated Dresser’s hidden homage to Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night.
After having successfully produced the entire Dresser trilogy with Augusta, The Pursuit of Happiness and now A View of the Harbor, Actors Theatre concludes its poignant examination of Dresser’s worlds with a worthy production. Even with a few weeds in this current production’s theatrical garden, Actors Theatre blooms with its thorough, progressive and thoughtful artistic mission.

Pasha Yamotahari, The Shaw Theatre Report