At a typical independent production, you assume poor values and a grasp exceeding its reach. Not so with "Exit the King" at Okaloosa-Walton Community College on Sunday, October 19, 2003. .
The king of Eugene Ionesco's play learns how to die, helped by those around him, who are sometimes real and sometimes facets of himself. The subject matter is so straightforward that some directors would be tempted to copy, I would guess. The spoken tempos are swift. The changes in mood and emotion are so sharp as to be comic. .
Louis See plays King Berenger I. See's youthfulness plays against the situation in the early part of the play, but beneath his comic desperation, his true desperation comes out. I work with Louis on a regular basis at a restaurant, and little did I know he was the main character in this play until I saw him up on stage. What a surprise! But, I couldn't have picked a better "king" myself. His bright and outgoing personality seems to fit the personality as Berenger perfectly. As Queen Marguerite, Jamie Tincher looks like the evil queen from Disney's "Snow White," but is so sensible as to be harsh, yet so sensible as to be gentle. Alana Opie is a pouting Ophelia as Queen Marie. Her hope balances Marguerite, but bleeds more dimensionally into pointless pleas and desperate demands. Queen Marie always stood up for the King in him times of despair. Susannah Moore would seem to have "built" the most character with her bedraggled, arm-flailing nursemaid Juliette, but she seems freed of the mantle of significance. Kyle A. Davis' Doctor is costumed as wizard and fool; with doctoral hood, but plays a straightforward and smart man. Theodore D. Siren's Guard announced the obvious, remaining strong and added a hilarious comic view of everything.
I was astounded by the uniqueness of the set and costumes. Every character had their personality built into their very own costume. It's just amazing how just adding the little details to the set can make a huge difference.