By: David de Young
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| Sarah Agnew and Jim Lichtscheidl as mehitabel and archy - Photo by Lucas Saugen |
Newspaperman Don Marquis created the character of archy [sic] the cockroach and mehitabel [sic] the cat for his daily newspaper column in 1916, and a collection of Marquis’ writings from archy’s perspective was published in book form in 1927. Since that time, generations of readers have grown to love the work, and it remains as popular today as ever.
Previous adaptations of Marquis’ book have been done for both stage and screen, musical and otherwise, but The Open Eye Figure Theatre production is completely new. Created and developed by Ivey Award winner Jim Lichtscheidl (whom Twin Citians saw most recently in the Guthrie’s The Government Inspector) and City Pages Best Actress of 2008, Sarah Agnew, the two actors star respectively in the title roles of archy and mehitabel. Additional support comes from Elise Langer.
In the play’s introductory scene, we learn (if we did not already know) that archy had been a free verse poet in a former life. After everyone leaves the newsroom at night, archy goes to work on a manual typewriter, dive bombing the keys, and typing only in lower case without punctuation. In addition to telling his own stories, archy also narrates tales from mehitabel’s life. (More accurately, I should say “lives” as mehitabel is on her ninth, and the current one is not the only one up for discussion.)
Open Eye Figure Theatre’s production had the audience – me included – laughing out loud in a matter of minutes. Some of the gags even produced a few snorts when I attended on the second night of the run. Though it is true that zany scenes abound in this episodic journey, its themes remain satiric, philosophical and often dark. Just like Marquis’ collection of poems, subject matters range from suicide, addiction and betrayal, to musings about reincarnation and the place of human beings in the grand scheme of the universe.
OOFT’s adaptation features musical composition by Eric Jenson, while the vast majority of text from the play and songs’ lyrics come straight from Marquis’ writing. There are so many songs, ranging from jazz to tangos, that it’s not a stretch to call the production a musical. Incidental music sometimes takes on a sci-fi feel.
Fast-paced, the show clocks in at barely over an hour. The quality of the script, production and fine performances from Lichtscheidl and Agnew (as well as puppeteering by Langer) make this show an all around winner. Even the sound, lighting and sparse set are a hit. As soon as the post show applause had died down, a woman behind me audibly exclaimed, “Wow, that was so clever.” When the series of episodes abruptly comes to an end the only thing you may find yourself wishing is that there were a few more scenes to go.
archy and mehitabel, life in lower case plays through November 2nd. Tickets and reservations are available from
Location Info:
Open Eye Figure Theatre
Artist Info: Open Eye Figure Theatre
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