Terra Nova Review

I caught the Opening night of Terra Nova by Ted Tally, directed by Tom Skore at UAA last Friday. Tally wrote the screenplay for ‘Silence of the Lambs’, so he’s no stranger to creating the framework for intense visual entertainment.

Director Tom Skore’s talent for ‘herding cats’ is evident in his prior directorial work, and no less so in this performance. He inspires actors to really dedicate themselves to their roles while at the same time allowing for their need for self expression, but not to the point of going in opposition of the playwright’s intention.

Terra Nova was the name of the ship that carried Robert Falcon Scott to Antarctica to make a try for reaching the South Pole in 1912. The play Terra Nova recounts what happened on that Expedition.

I would go so far as to say that what happened to these men heralded the beginning of the end of modern humanity assuming it had carte blanche dominion over the natural word.  A truth harshly confirmed a few short months later with the RMS Titanic sinking.

I have to give credit to Costume Designer Frances Covais Lautenberger. Authenticity of appearance was a major point as pictures from the actual Expedition were part of the performance.

Lighting Design was handled to beautiful and stunning effect by Daniel Anteau, who was tasked with the challenge of bringing the Aurora Australis inside…and virtually to the opposite pole! Patterns of haunting beauty and desolation were conveyed. This was enhanced by the Sound Design put together by Erick Hayden. The combination of the light and the sound were sufficient to make one feel Antarctica in their seat. Bring a sweater. In this ambience you may need it.

And then there were the actors themselves.

Jaron Carlson plays Scott. He conveys the pressure of being a public figure subject to the expectations and hopes of his entire country, the uneasiness of trying to balance being a national hero with just being a man with a young family, and the upsetting jolt that carrying the tried and true values of his society to the most uncivilized place in the world may not only fail, but could even be fatal to the men he considers as younger brothers and sons.

Nathan Huey plays the role of expedition member Edgar Evans as a man pushing to be part of something he sees as greater and grander than himself. His determination to match reality with his dreams, and his physical drive to succeed the race to the pole in spite of the odds make him someone we understand and sympathize with on his trek.

The role of Lawrence Oates was played by Bradford Jackson. The Perfect Soldier, Jackson manages to fill a pretty big pair of shoes as a man’s man whose selflessness would have been beyond belief had there not been a recording witness. Oates has become a romantic figure in entertainment and in art, Jackson brings the heroic angel down to earth and turns him back into a real human being with merits, flaws, and aged beyond his years by his life in the service.

Joshua Kovach plays Dr Edward Wilson, principled and dedicated, he is the beating heart of humanity for the expedition. Joshua delivers a sense of deep care and sensitivity for life. His embodiment of the sympathetic ear is downright priestly in its degree of confidence. This quality adds greatly to the sense that the group shares a deep bond just as the original members of the Expedition did.

The part of Henry Bowers was played by Zach Gowdy, as a man short in stature, but large in personality, he is the organized and undisputable optimistic spirit of the party. Zach embraced the sense of ease, merriment with enthusiasm and friendship. The group banter flows around and through him naturally, his timing for humorous delivery was excellent, and served as the glue binding these men together.

Kathleen Scott is played by Tiffany Guinn with a welcoming warmth and affection, seasoned perfectly with an intriguing and delightful prickliness. Kathleen Scott was a woman of strength and personality that most women were just beginning to own in that era. Antarctica disappears in a sensation of warm summer when Robert Scott remembers her, only for the cold chill to come howling back with a vengeance when immediacy demands his attention.

The practical antagonist embodied by Scott’s imagining of his competitor Roald Amundsen is played by Eric Holzschuh. He is as goading as he is encouraging to Scott, he speaks hard truths, but like Cassandra of Agamemnon his words go unheeded. As time and hardships increase for the party, Scott’s delusion of Amundsen becomes increasingly real to the point of him becoming almost an unmentioned sixth member of the expedition.

The actors complement each other extremely well as they work to bring to life not only the text as Ted Tally wrote it, but to do honor to the history of a group of men who pushed for glory at the bottom of the world.\

This performance runs from October 9 through Sunday October 25th, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 PM with Sunday Matinees at 3PM. Directly following the Sunday 18th performance, there will be a symposium on Arctic climate change.

Ticket costs on Friday and Saturday performances are $13 for general admission, $18 for reserved seating. Sunday matinees are $10 for general admission and $13 for reserved seating. Discounts are available. Call the UAA Theater Box Office (907) 786-4849 for more details.