“I am afraid. Not of life or death or nothingness … but of wasting it as if I had never been.”
Charles Gordon,
“Flowers For Algernon”
It’s human nature to wonder how life would be, say, if we were smarter, stronger, more equipped for success. Who hasn’t dreamed of scoring a Super Bowl-winning touchdown, winning an Academy Award or perhaps something meatier, like curing cancer or solving the riddles of life?
It’s this desire that forms the setting for the upcoming Iola High School production “Flowers For Algernon,” which runs tonight and Friday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
David Rogers’ play is based on the 1959 short story penned by Daniel Keyes.
“Flowers For Algernon” also provides the pitch-perfect outlet for Iola’s Zachary Cokely’s prodigious acting talents.
As the play’s protagonist, a mentally retarded adult who wants nothing more than to fit in with whom he regards as his mentally superior friends, Cokely quickly grabs the audience’s support, and doesn’t let go over the next two hours of almost constant stage time.
Such a role isn’t meant for just any young actor, yet Cokely shines as the affable and empathetic Charlie.
In “Flowers,” Charlie has eagerly volunteered for a groundbreaking, if not controversial, surgical procedure where the “damaged” portion of the brain is removed and injected with a chemical in order to revitalize the tissue.
After many attempts, the scientists have successfully increased the mental capacity of their lab mouse, the titular Algernon, and are ready to expand the procedure to a human.
Enter Charlie, and his IQ of 68 — legally retarded — who works as a janitor at a local bakery and attends special education classes with the hopes of someday becoming “smart.”
Needless to say, the procedure comes off without a hitch, and Charlie’s mental prowess grows almost immediately.
Cokely masterfully embodies Charlie, particularly early on in the production. His mannerisms, speech and posture slowly transform until within weeks of the procedure, his IQ has tripled, and he’s now smarter than the very researchers who are studying him.
He also bonds quickly with Algernon, the test mouse whose progression often mirrors Charlie’s.
Eventually, his increased capacity is clouded with desperation as he comes to grip with his newfound status.
And with such success are there drawbacks? What happens if Charlie’s emotional state does not develop as quickly as his intellect? And what of other long-term side effects? Might Charlie’s improvement be only temporary?
Come see for yourself when the curtain rises at 7 o’clock tonight and Friday. Tickets sell for $5 apiece; USD 257 students will be admitted free of charge.
A BRILLIANT ensemble of acting talent help complement Cokely.
Karly McGuffin sparkles as Alice, Charlie’s special ed instructor. She cares for him a great deal already, and perhaps more quickly than most, understands there are other implications at work.
She presciently warns Charlie shortly after his procedure that many of his friends and coworkers probably aren’t as smart — or as friendly — as he originally thought.
Isaiah Wicoff is Dr. Strauss, the doctor who has perfected the surgery and is ready — perhaps too ready — to spread the news of his rousing success.
Likewise, Morgan Jett is Professor Nemur, Strauss’s colleague.
Both deftly convey the moral and ethical issues involved in such a radical surgery, and what such work would mean for society today.
Zury Burleson, as Burt, also is involved in the study, and grasps the gravity of what is transpiring, particularly as Charlie’s understanding of the world takes a few unexpected turns.
The play’s most haunting scenes are courtesy of Quentin Mallette and Alexandria Vega as Charlie’s parents and Gaby Lampe as his sister, whose story largely is told in flashbacks. Charlie knows and speaks little of them at the start. But as his brainpower expands, so does his repressed memory of a young family coming to grips with his mental deficiency.
The flashbacks also include Cole Moyer as Charlie in his childhood and Jon Poffenbarger as Charlie as a teenager. Neither Moyer nor Poffenbarger speak a word in their poignantly powerful scenes. Nor do they have to.
River Hess, Parker Smith and Audrey Coltrane also deserve a round of applause as Charlie’s coworkers at the local bakery, as does Sadie Maple as Charlie’s boss.
Their attitudes toward Charlie, seemingly warm and pleasant, soon reveal themselves as something more odious as the play progresses and Charlie’s intellect expands, to the point Maple’s character feels she must act.
Isabella Duke stands out as Mrs. Mooney, Charlie’s landlord.
Rounding out the cast are Courtney Jones, Sierra Petty, Allie Fager, Isabella Duke, Rachel Cochran, Katie Weide, Bobby Lewis, Katie Bauer, Elaina Stiffler and Adryan Nading.
DRAMA instructor Regina Chriestenson often speaks of being blessed with a talented stable of young actors.
As director, she skillfully has molded this young troupe to provide an entertaining and unforgettable evening; to ensure those flowers for Algernon smell quite sweet.
PHOTO: Zachary Cokely and Karly McGuffin star in the Iola High School play “Flowers For Algernon,” which runs at 7 o’clock tonight and Friday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
