Review: TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE at A.D. Players

"Are you trying to be as human as you can be?" Read that again, and ask yourself--Am I trying to be as human as I can be? This is just one of the questions posed in A.D Players' production Tuesdays With Morrie, currently running through February 10th. If you are not already familiar with Mitch Albom's well-loved New York Bestseller Tuesdays With Morrie (which sold a mere 15 million copies) then you'd better grab your tissues.

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What is so heartwarming, and a little heartbreaking, about this story is the knowing that it really happened. There was really a Mitch Albom: successful sports-writer distracted by the futile things in life, occupying his time with phone calls, emails, assignments, flights--the typical career hustle-and-bustle. And, there really was a Morrie Schwartz. Caring professor and knowledgeable mentor, lover of egg salad, a man who never turned away a student. Especially when his former student Mitch reconnects with him after 16 years. Even when he is diagnosed with ALS and experiences the decline of his own physical life.

This production was ultimately a conversation, literally between the characters themselves and figuratively between the actors and the audience. This conversation explores the meaning of living, dying, and the relationships you create along the way. In the play, Morrie instructs that "When you learn how to die, you learn how to truly live". Just as Mitch is Morrie's student in the story, in watching this production, the audience members become students to the actors. Sit back, listen, and be receptive to the lessons onstage in front of you.

To say Kevin Cooney is an experienced veteran of performance is an understatement, as he has an extensive list of credits from both television and stage. He was picture-perfect as Morrie. I truly don't believe the production would have been the same without him bringing the wisdom, knowledge, and truth of Morrie so authentically to the stage. Kevin is Morrie, inside and out. The way I see it, Kevin Cooney is Houston theatre's metaphorical wise grandfather, and A.D Players' Tuesdays With Morrie is him having a conversation about life's truths with Houston audiences.

A.D Players' Executive Director Jake Speck made his A.D Player's stage debut as Mitch Albom, the student, turned friend, turned mentee of Morrie. It was refreshing to see someone who usually handles the administration side of theatre step into a performance role, connecting with the material in the most hands-on way possible. Another reason to love A.D. Players--you can trust that those handling the administration of the theatre they create are connected to the art form itself. The value of that can easily be taken for granted, but should not be.

A.D. Players veteran of 15 years, Jennifer Dean, directed Tuesdays With Morrie as if it were a conversation with the audience--which many would argue that theatre should be. Since the book and script were based on true events, it was essential to me that the story be told with as much authenticity as possible in order to maintain the story's integrity. The direction was consistent and strong, as the two characters invited the audience into the story by speaking to them, rather than merely at them. What was so admirable about Dean's direction and the performances of the two actors was that the show did not feel staged. While it may come as a surprise, often the hardest moments to stage are the ones that are humans just being human. It seems natural and simple, but those circumstances can easily feel contrived if not performed well. Dean notes that this play is a "heart-check", and she couldn't be more accurate.

Kevin Rigdon's scenic design brought the same comfort and familiarity that the rest of the production did. Set entirely in Morrie's house, with various indications to different locations, everything about the set felt natural, as if you were actually sitting in Morrie's living room. The room was framed with a semicircle of bookshelves filled to the brim with different stories, and a window overlooking the bright hibiscus tree outside his home. The piano, set offstage in the front of the audience, gave the opportunity for changes in location and for Speck to play piano live as Mitch.

The only slight hindrance to this production is that the stage space at the George is so massive, that with a unit set and only two actors, the production might have benefitted from a smaller, more intimate stage. However, the set design and reveal at the end of the production certainly filled the space effectively.

There are a wealth of reasons to see this production. Maybe you are looking for an escape from the hustle of the new year, or maybe you just desire to sit down and be told a story. How often do we sit and listen to stories as children, and later lose the value of that simple activity in our adult life? If you are seeking clarity or need to be snapped out of a rut, this production does that as well, without forcefully shoving cheesy adages In Your Face.

This production gifts you thoughts to consider, truths to absorb, and the comfort of knowing that Morrie himself was a real individual who really shared this wisdom. If nothing else, I can guarantee you that I walked out of the theatre that blue-skyed, sunny Sunday afternoon thinking a little clearer, and feeling a little lighter.

Tuesday's With Morrie will be running at A.D Players through February 10th. Tickets are available online at adplayers.org or by calling The George Box Office at 713.526.2721. Tickets start at $31.