THE INMATES ARE EASY TO LIKE
IN PALM CANYON’S CUCKOO’S NEST
Upon entering Palm Canyon Theatre, one first sees the onstage set for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Designer J. W. Layne has created a very naturalistic dayroom of a mental hospital. Especially effective are ceiling beams which extend almost to the front row of the theatre which makes the audience feel a more like they are part of the action.
When the show begins, the inmates of the facility come shuffling in – literally. You can count them off on your fingers: the one who laughs at unseen motivators, the one who moves his hands in repeated attacks, the one with a Jesus complex who stands between windows with his arms extended as if on a cross. Uh oh, I thought. This is real community theatre stuff.
Then Mc Murphy enters (Sean Timothy Brown in the role made famous by Jack Nicholson) and everything changes. Brown brings enough star power from the moment he sets foot on the stage that he animates all the other characters on the stage. Brown for many years was the go-to straight young man who performed with virtually every company in town until he dropped out of sight to be present as a father. Thank you, whoever talked him into playing this role because from start to finish he is a delight.
Most of us know that his nemesis is Nurse Ratchet (Erin Shull), one of the most hateful villains in literature, who achieves her nefarious goals without ever raising her voice or her fist. She has the other inmates under her thumb but recognizes McMurphy as a challenge to her rule.
Bryan Kreisinger Denk does a good job as Dr. Spivey, a compassionate clinician who thinks McMurphy is fine, contrary to Ratchet’s arguments. Denk is very convincing when he cowers to Nurse Ratchet – she’s that strong!
Director Luke Rainey has brought his standard level of excellence in developing strong individual characters among the inmates, who grow a lot more dimensional and believable as the play progresses. Notable is Billy Bibbit (Jackson Enzler), a juvenile with no sense of self-worth. Enzler practically lives at PCT, stage managing and building sets, but his acting has grown stronger with each of the numerous plays he has performed in. Other inmates are played by Alan Berry, Brent Anderson, David Brooks, Nick Edwards, Larry Martin and Tim Steele. Attendants are Rob Kreisinger Denk, Janet Murphy Patterson, and Kristoph Stein-Steele.
Mc Murphy manages to smuggle a couple of girls into the asylum, played by Christine Michele and Timothy Rathke in effective drag. Both girls are a lot of fun until they figure in a very downward plot turn.
Unique among the inmates is Chief Bromden (Ron Coronado), a mountain of a man who appears to have been carved from stone. He is a deaf mute, though occasionally the stage goes dark except for a spotlight on him and we hear the pre-recorded thoughts going on in his head. Bromden seems to be a meaningless role until McMurphy wins his confidence. Chief becomes a major character who plays a pivotal part in the climax of the show. His chemistry with McMurphy is excellent.
Hats off to Nick Campbell for his sound design. The actors are amplified, but just enough that they are audible and natural sounding. Several times between scenes we hear a high-voltage hum that is very jarring. In Act 2 we find out what that sound actually represents and it’s devastating. The nurses’ station is behind glass so Nurse Ratchet must use a microphone to speak to the inmates. Campbell hit the perfect tone of bad institutional speakers when her voice reaches the dayroom.
I give a strong recommendation to see this show. I will be surprised if Sean Timothy Brown doesn’t take the DTL Best Actor Award, but more importantly, it’s a very good overall performance of a great script which will coax you into some very strong emotions – and for me, that’s one of the major goals of theatre.
photos by Maile Klein Photography
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Palm Canyon Theater, 538 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs
Thurs at 7; Fri and Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on April 27, 2025
for tickets ($17-$38), call 760.323.5123 or visit PCT
