STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK
PHOTO BY KIRSTEN SHULTZ
The Beatles sang “When I’m 64.” But what about when you turn 91?
You could, of course, subject yourself to one of those computerized images that shows what you’ll look like then.
But Jana Arnold jumped in feet first, acting out a woman of 91.
And the local thespian nailed the mannerisms and other things you might expect of a woman of that age.
Arnold has regaled us for years with her character sketches of Shakespearean rascals and Hungarian gypsy maids. And she does it again in the Company of Fools’ current production “4000 Miles.”
Arnold portrays a 91-year-old grandmother who is rousted from her sleep one night to find her 21-year-old rudderless grandson standing at the door of her Greenwich apartment, having biked from Seattle to New York.
These unlikely roommates clash. They unite. She quizzes him. And she empathizes with him over a tragedy that no one but playwright Amy Herzog could probably have conceived.
And, in the end, they find they can share some laughs and common ground despite generational and other differences.
Did we mention that Grandma’s not the homey, bake-you-cookies type of grandmother you might have expected but a feisty woman who has some definite and surprising political leanings?
Ultimately, the 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist is a journey towards compassion but one that’s full of laughs. And pretty realistic, considering Herzog used her grandmother’s words and habits to fashion the character of Vera Joseph.
Jana Arnold alone is reason enough to see the play. But Adam Turck, who plays her grandson Leo, turns in a convincing performance as the immature Leo, who begins to grow up under his grandmother’s wing.
And Maggie Horan and Jessi Zhang turn in nice performances, as well, as Leo’s off-put girlfriend and the his rollercoaster of a one-night stand.
But don’t procrastinate. The play runs through Saturday, March 2.
Showtime is 7 p.m. tonight—Thursday, Feb. 28, and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $35 for members of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, seniors 62 and over and members of a group of 8 or more. They’re $15 for students with ID, available at www.sunvalleycenter.org, by phone at 208-578-9122 or the Liberty Theatre box office.
The ten seats on the front row are available for $10 each performance.