Stones in His Pockets: a triumph for Florida Rep

FLORIDA REP PHOTO CHIP HOFFMAN Bill Taylor and Chris Clavelli in "Stones in His Pockets" at the Florida Repertory Theatre. The great American poet Langston Hughes once asked what happens to a dream deferred.

Does it shrivel up and wither, does it fester like a sore, or does it explode?

"Stones in His Pockets," playing at the Florida Repertory Theatre through Nov. 18, raises the same question.

What do people have, if they don't have their dreams? How do you keep going on when you feel you have nothing?

In "Stones," a Hollywood film crew descends upon a tiny Irish village, creating havoc and turning everyone's life upside down, including that of Charlie (Bill Taylor) and Jake (Chris Clavelli), two extras who become buddies over the course of the filming.

In an acting tour de force, the two portray 15 different characters, including 17- year-old drug-addicted Sean; Aishling, the film director's young, flighty assistant; and Mickey, a man in his 70s who was once an extra in a John Wayne movie shot in Ireland way back when (all portrayed by Clavelli). Taylor's characters include Caroline Giovanni, a glamorous, selfish movie starlet; Clem, the movie director; Brother Gerard, a local elementary school teacher; and a grieving father.

Over the course of the evening the two switch seamlessly from character to character and back again in a flash; sometimes one actor portrays two different people conversing with each other, switching back and forth to provide both sides of the dialogue. And they do this all without relying on wig or costume changes.

If this sounds confusing, it's not. The actors embody disparate personalities by changing voice, facial expression, posture and stance. (And, as an added help, often call each other by name.)

It may be initially disconcerting, but after a few scenes, you're recognizing the myriad characters as old friends and you're along for the ride. (If it helps, think of it as watching a radio drama performed on stage by a talented duo ...who aren't tied down to one spot.)

The residents of this small Irish town are down on their luck and grateful for the money playing an extra brings, even if it's not much. Charlie, having lost his small video store business to a big chain video store that came to town, is reduced to living in a tent.

"I started all over again so many times I lost count," he says.

Jake pursued his dreams by going to America. He had a chance to make it there, and almost married a nice woman from New York. But perhaps the idea of happiness and commitment scared him; he ran back home to his native country.

In their tattered clothing, on an almostbare stage, the two initially look like Estragon and Vladimir in "Waiting for Godot." And it's not a stretch to say that Charlie and Jake are waiting for someone ...or something... to change their lives.

Though Taylor has acted in the area off and on in his own Theatre Conspiracy productions, his performance in "Stones" is a revelation. Director Robert Cacioppo has coaxed a performance out of him that is nothing less than astounding. Taylor portrays Charlie as a tragic-comic figure, a la Charlie Chaplin. He's someone we laugh at, but the laughter is bittersweet. Clavelli's brooding Jake, a much more complex character, helps act as a balance to the clownish Charlie.

Both actors are masters of the little moment, the small gestures that not only identify characters but bring them to life, the way an artist can create a three-dimensional looking figure with just a few wellplaced lines. Watch, for example, how Taylor plays the starlet, Caroline Giovanni, as she flirts with Jake. She fluffs her hair, she flutters her eyelashes, then crosses her legs, raising the hem of her skirt to show them off. And Clavelli plays the young Aishling with fluttery self-importance and a skip in her step, as if life is her personal playground.

Not only do Clavelli and Taylor portray the characters growing and changing over time, but they also portray some of them at a younger age, in flashbacks. Clavelli's scenes of Sean as a young boy are spoton, especially the one where he's giving an essay in front of his classmates on the importance of cows.

"Stones in His Pockets" is a play rich with layers. It's about the disintegration of rural life in Ireland, about Hollywood vs. real life and the little guy vs. the big conglomerates. It's about the pursuit of dreams and turning your life into art. Playwright Marie Jones blends comedy with tragedy, and Clavelli and Taylor, in an Olympian feat of acting, are more than equal to the task.

Cacioppo has created a simple, minimalist set: an oversized frame of film showing blue sky and white puffy clouds is the backdrop; underneath are a row of 20 shoes and boots, symbolizing the townspeople. The stage is bare, except for two trunks used as various props. Sound designer Eric Watkins, who provides off-stage sound effects to accompany the actors' pantomimes, deserves special mention.

"Stones in His Pockets" is a triumph, an exhilarating, not-to-be-missed night at the theater.