Sometimes a book can change your life. Sometimes so can a book club. Such is the premise of Karen Zacarías' hilarious play
The Book Club Play, which I first saw at
Theatre in the Round two years ago* but was more than happy to revisit at Lakeshore Players Theatre. The play is essentially a study of humanity as seen through the very specific phenomenon known as the Book Club, and the life changes brought about in all of our characters through several very eventful meetings. It's also an exploration of books, literature, art, and what makes some worthy and some not, some popular and some not. And are those two things mutually exclusive? You can see the very funny, real, and relatable
The Book Club Play at the Lakeshore Players Theatre in lovely downtown White Bear Lake through March 23 only.
 |
| cheers to books! (photo by Kara Salava) |
Our Book Club is run by Ana (Laura Knobel), who perhaps takes it (and herself) a little too seriously. She started the club with her good friend Will (Lewis Youngren), although she's loathe to admit that it wasn't all her idea. They're joined by Ana's husband Rob (Mitch Kiecker), who's just kind of along for the ride (he's rarely reads the book and is more interested in the food), their friend Jen (Elizabeth Dunn), and Ana's new young colleague Lily (Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green), who may or may not have been a diversity invite. But this Book Club has a twist - they're being filmed for use in a documentary by an acclaimed Danish director, which makes everything heightened as people try to be on their best behavior, and then are appalled when they forget the cameras are there and say (or do) something they shouldn't. When Jen invites her neighbor Alex (Katie Rowles-Perich in a gender swap from the original, adding an interesting twist) to join the club, without following the proper vetting procedures, things start to get even more crazy. The selection of books takes a turn, and some books inspire some readers to admit long-held secrets, or make amazing life discoveries. That's the beauty of art, when it resonates, inspires, and enlightens so much that you'll never be the same again.
I would've happily watched this group of lovable oddballs, as portrayed by this fantastic cast (most of whom are new to me), for two hours, which alone would make for a delightful play. But the playwright also inserted some absurd little interstitial monologues by various unrelated characters talking about their love of books - a prison librarian, a senior citizen inspired to try sky-diving, a federal agent who loves Hemingway. These monologues aren't necessary for the story, but provide another perspective on books and the people who love them. And they also provide additional entertainment value; Erika Soukup is hilarious as each of them, popping up in unexpected places.
 |
| photo by Kara Salava |
Each scene of the play corresponds to one biweekly Book Club, beginning with the classics
Moby Dick and
Age of Innocence, then the more popular fare
Twilight and
The Da Vinci Code, and finally,
The Return of Tarzan (I've read one of these books, I'll let you guess which one). Each meeting comes with a change of clothes, which helps us to realize the passage of time, each character's wardrobe telling us more about them (stylish Will, casual Rob, trendy Lily). The entire play takes place in Ana's chic living room, well represented on Lakeshore's stage, with posh furniture and tall bookshelves. Over the mantel is a TV screen, upon which we see the books and other info displayed. Characters often look at, or try to avoid looking at, the camera which is assumed to be center stage. This provides several fun meta moments of the actors looking right at us. Director Jess Yates gets great performances from this cast and strikes the perfect funny tone, with the interstitials creatively done. (Set design by Sarah Brandner, costume design by Grace Czywczynski.)
In the play, Ana makes a clear distinction between "real literature" and mere drivel, like Twilight. Alex, a literature professor, questions the definition of "literature." If millions of people read and love a book like Twilight or The Da Vinci Code, books that literature critics might pan, doesn't that mean something? Lily points out that Romance is one of the best-selling genres, yet again, critics don't take it seriously. It feels like that may be changing lately with the popularity of TV shows adapted from Romance series like Bridgerton and Outlander (both of which I've read), but it again begs the question - just because something is hugely popular (particularly among women), does that mean it can't also have critical value? Who's to say what books are worth reading, what movies or plays are worth seeing? This Book Club has just as many inspirational discussions and moments from the "drivel" as it does from the "literature," and isn't that what matters? This play celebrates the love of reading, and maybe asks us not to take it so seriously.
