‘Sordid Lives’ are all over MHCC stage

By JILL AHO

Story The Mt. Hood Community College spring theater production is a rare treat in many ways. “Sordid Lives,” a play by Del Shores, (“Daddy’s Dyin’, (Who’s got the will?)”) is one part dark humor and one part message.

The play focuses on the death of Peggy Ingram (Sherry Hoskins) and the interactions of her relatives immediately following until the final scene at her funeral. Each scene begins with a monologue as Ty Williamson (Jeffery Watson) speaks to his therapist. Ty is gay, but he doesn’t feel like he can be himself. Surrounded by influences that lead him to believe no one would accept him, Ty is tortured by his homosexuality. Or, as his mother, Latrelle Williamson (Megan Murphy) puts it, his ho-mo-sexuality. This torture leads Ty to decide he will not attend his grandmother’s funeral.

Meanwhile in Texas, his family lives out their own versions of torture. Latrelle finds herself flung into scandal as she learns of the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. Considering herself to be a woman of morality, she does not want to accept the adultery of her own mother. That, and her sister, Lavonda Dupree (Amanda Fischel), insists that their mother be buried with a mink stole in the middle of summer.
The other child of Peggy, Earl “Brother Boy” Ingram (Matthew Preston), is locked in a mental institution in dehomosexualization therapy. He has been there for 20 years. Therapist Dr. Eve Bolinger (Kim Thai) is on the verge of giving up on Earl.
Earl was admitted after a run-in with some local boys, men who had been his friends before realizing he was gay. Wardell “Bubb” Owens (Joshua Dunton) is your typical manly man, but he carries the burden of having sent his best friend to the institution so long ago.

Adding a great deal of humor is the performance of Jaclyn Harris who plays Juanita, a drunkard full of one-liners and some resentment over a rooster from her youth.

A special treat is the appearance of former MHCC music student Amanda Richards. Richards has just released a country album of original music, which will be played pre-show, during intermission and at curtain call and will also be on sale in the theater lobby. Richards plays the part of Bitsy Mae Harling and also entertains the audience with the music of “Sordid Lives” during scene changes. Richards’ voice is beautiful and her guitar playing is impeccable. This is a chance to see an up and coming artist.

Costume designer Sumi Wu has chosen well. The costumes are perfect in all scenes and the details are easily seen. Wu’s costuming gives this play a realism of poor Southern upbringing and a hot summer. Without these costumes the characters would be over the top.

Sound designer Gordon Romei said, “You never really know where all the jokes are until you get an audience.” The Studio Theater at Mt. Hood is much smaller than the College Theater, which adds a different dynamic for both audience and cast members. Director Rick Zimmer said, “It’s a whole different performance style.” The Studio Theater seats about 80 while the College Theater seats 500. Romei added the distance between audience members and actors in the College Theater is around 25 feet while in the Studio Theater, the stage is only about eight feet from seating. “The smaller space can be more difficult for actors,” said Romei. Audience members can expect to be even closer to actors during the final scene.

This play is not for the faint of ears. The play has a lot of strong language, and the content deals with homosexuality. Zimmer said with the exception of the language, “It’s no worse than what you would see on ‘Will and Grace.’”

The sets are well done, and the fact that Richards sings during set changes makes the transitions smooth. The first set is reminiscent of Grandma’s living room. The addition of carpet to the stage transforms the normally starkly dark Studio Theater into a more welcoming place.

“Sordid Lives” is about 2 hours 30 minutes long with a ten-minute intermission. Performances are May 12, 13, and 21 at 8:00 p.m. and May 14 and 21 at 2:00 p.m. For ticket information, contact the theater department at (503)-491-6969.