Superior production of Whose Life enlivens theater troupe's debut at Museum of Art

By Jack Zink, Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Jan. 5, 2006

Theater Review

The last hours of 2005 saw the birth of a healthy and promising theater troupe in downtown Fort Lauderdale. It was an event full of delicious irony since the play is Whose Life Is It Anyway? -- about a paralyzed accident victim who wants the plug pulled on her life support.

The company is a new main-stage arm of the Inside Out Theatre, a seven-year-old program that until now specialized in youth theater with "socially relevant themes" performed mostly in schools, colleges and civic programs. For the debut of Inside Out's adult professional venture, Whose Life also is about as socially relevant as it gets. The production, first in America since a rewrite for last year's London revival, features a glowing performance by Sandra Ives as the patient.

Brian Clark's British TV drama, which he adapted for the stage in 1978, is about a man trying to convince hospital authorities that he's rational in his desire to end what he sees as a meaningless existence of paralysis. After the production moved to Broadway with star Tom Conti, Clark wrote another version to accommodate a female protagonist, and the show has enjoyed an extended life. The movie (with the original male-patient concept) followed in '81. The updates for the British revival last January, mostly superficial and topical, keep the show fresh.

The argument at the core of Whose Life also continues to resonate through society, as demonstrated by the furious national debate last year over whether to unplug Terri Schiavo's life support systems, and related death-with-dignity issues.

What made Clark's drama so appealing nearly 30 years ago, and keeps it so today, is its light touch. The patient, in this version named Claire Harrison, is described by her doctor as "an intelligent, sensitive and articulate woman," with a flair for wit and comic banter as she teases her nurses and attendants. When the subjects turn serious, Clark continues to delicately support the unavoidable sense of tragedy on that warm humor.

Ives ranges from radiant to domineering, panicky and quietly resigned over the course of two acts, while director Marjorie O'Neill-Butler carefully shepherds the remainder of the eight-member cast around the performance. Antonio Amadeo and John Archie comprise the hospital's good cop/bad cop duo in the institution's battle to keep the patient alive; Sheaun McKinney is an orderly with far more simpatico than the professionals. Each adds flourishes. Dependable but not fleshed out as well are the nurses (Sheila Allen, Katherine Amadeo), lawyer (Autumn Horne), social worker and judge (both played by Harriet Oser).

The new venture takes place in the 250-odd seat auditorium at the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale. Tim Connelly has achieved a stunning success with his scenic design on the auditorium's wide, shallow stage, which perplexed Vince Rhomberg in the 1990s while his Public Theatre was in residence. New lighting equipment also gives Stuart Reiter the opportunity to sculpt effects when needed. All in all, it's an auspicious debut.

Jack Zink can be reached at jzink@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4706.

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