Issue date: 1/29/07

Section: Feature

by Dan Briggs

Syracuse's Atonement Stage is a fitting theater for an ex-preacher, as Appleseed Productions performed James Leonard Jr.'s play, "The Diviners," Sunday.

The play, set in rural Indiana during the Great Depression, tells the story of an ex-preacher, C.C. Showers (Joe Pierce), and his attempt to cure an adolescent, Buddy Layman's (Navzrad N. Dabu), fear of drowning.

The play begins with Showers looking for work with Buddy's father, Ferris Layman (John Brackett). When Showers reveals he is an ex-preacher, he quickly finds a job as a hired hand, helping with Layman's garage.

The play begins with Showers looking for work with Buddy's father, Ferris Layman (John Brackett). When Showers reveals he is an ex-preacher, he quickly finds a job as a hired hand, helping with Layman's garage.

Showers instantly befriends Buddy and quickly wins over the hearts of the Layman's neighbors, his charisma reminiscent of the character Harold Hill in "The Music Man."

When Buddy becomes afflicted with ringworm, Showers begins a personal crusade to convince Buddy to wash.

The focus of the play is Showers' unrelenting resolve to help Buddy face his fear of water, which Buddy acquired as a toddler when his mother sacrificed her life to save him from drowning. Buddy also suffers from impaired cognitive ability due to asphyxiation during the incident.

Appleseed Productions' cast and Director Jon Wilson do a laudable job giving the characters life. The script is somewhat unimaginative, and at times overly sentimental, but the actors manage to compensate by injecting some originality into their roles.

Pierce's infallible charm adds an additional dimension to Showers' friendliness. In the beginning of the play, Showers is such a schmoozer it seems like an ulterior motive for his friendliness will be revealed any second. As the play progresses, however, it becomes clear Showers truly is genuine.

Brackett commands an impressive stage presence with his booming voice and wide stature, which fills his character's role as the hard, yet sensible enforcer. When he lays down the law for his two children, there is never an objection. Yet beneath his character's hardened-leather exterior, he is a father that hates to do anything that might upset his children, especially if it means forcing Buddy to bathe.

The actors thrive on the comedic exchanges, which are written much better than the play's dramatic sections. There are plenty of jokes about technological ineptitude at the expense of farmer Basil Bennett's (Doug Rougeaux).

When describing a manure spreader to Layman, Basil tells him, "You drag it around, see, and it shits on your field."

The set consists simply of Atonement's uniquely shaped stage, including several raised platforms and a few props. Wilson's use of the stage to create each scene is clever and effective. At one moment the stage becomes a river, another moment a farm, all with the help of body language, lighting and a few sparse props.

Although the play is well done, the script falls short of the cast's potential. Leonard fails to explore some of the deeper themes the play has the potential to address. He skirts around the near romance between Showers and Layman's 18-year-old daughter Jennie Mae (Katelyn Remington).

A dinner-theater vibe permeates Atonement. The audience sits at candle-lit tables with water pitchers and cups for coffee, and at intermission chocolate chip cookies complete the dining experience.

Dabu, a student at Chestnut Hill Middle School in Liverpool, said the hardest part about playing Buddy was rehearsing for the slow-motion scene at the end, in which he drowns. Dabu does not know if he will pursue theater professionally; for now he is just having fun.

"I like doing the accent (of Buddy)," he said. "I like all the wave swings that Buddy goes through. I like how he's so happy one minute and then down the next."

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