The Elephant Man Critic Reviews

Encountering the Other in Curtain Call Theatre’s ‘The Elephant Man’

The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance received a 4.5 of 5 stars rating, from Alexa Chipman. Author of YA books, theatre critic, travel writer, and resident of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Finding humanity in those who are radically divergent is a struggle for society; if someone looks or acts differently from what we are used to, it challenges our comfort zone. Historically it has been difficult to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and respected equally, as recent news attests to. With the severely disfigured “elephant man” it is easy to react with fear, revulsion, or pity, rather than recognizing him as an intelligent equal worthy of normal attention and dignity. Click here to read more.

Harry Duke Review

Harry Duke is an actor, director, teacher, and theatre critic whose reviews can be seen online at the For All Events website and in print in the Sonoma County Gazette. A member of San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and American Theatre Critics Association.

In the opposite side of the budget spectrum lies Monte Rio’s Curtain Call Theatre. Housed in the Russian River Hall on the north side of Highway 116 just this side of the coast, they’ve impressed me in the past with what they’re able to do with minimal resources. Their current production of The Elephant Man utilizes projections more so than set pieces to evoke a sense of time and place and, because of the playwright’s desire to not recreate the physical deformities that afflicted the title character, allows the audience to get past that potential distraction by displaying photographs taken of John Merrick and his condition. To read more click here.

 

The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man is based on the life of John Merrick, who lived in London during the latter part of the nineteenth century. A horribly deformed young man, who has been a freak attraction in traveling side shows, is found abandoned and helpless and is admitted for observation to Whitechapel, a prestigious London hospital. Under the care of a famous young doctor, who educates him and introduces him to London society, Merrick changes from a sensational object of pity to the urbane and witty favorite of the aristocracy and literati. But his belief that he can become a man like any other is a dream never to be realized.

Bernard Pomerance is a young American playwright born and raised in New York City. While a number of his plays have been produced in London, The Elephant Man is his first major American production. During its opening season, The Elephant Man won all the major drama awards, including three Tonys, three Obies, the Drama Desk Award, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.