By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO– Losing one’s coveted view of the ocean can hardly fit into the category of a tragedy. A shame, maybe; too bad, if you aren’t sympathetic to only the privileged few having ocean views; life sucks if you are. How we act or rather react to losing something that subjective can, under certain circumstances, as it did the way our protagonist Dakin reacted, definitely can be called a tragedy if not insanity.
In Stephen Metcalfe’s new play The Tragedy Of The Commons now in a world premiere production at Cygnet Theatre, more issues than lost ocean views are explored but underlying the theme of ocean views is a lost character in the body of a guy named Dakin (Jim Winker) who can’t to come to grips with his own life and so defines happiness by the spectacular view of the ocean he has from his terrace. At stake is the possibility that someone might come along and build up on the property in front of his terrace and obstruct his view!
Now I digress. Many years ago when our accountant used to do our income taxes at her home in La Jolla, she also had a gorgeous panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Her house was built in the shape of a U and was up high enough to be able to look down (or if we stood on the wrap around deck, straight out) at the waves breaking at the shore. I have to admit I was envious. I could live that way I thought, except my view is one of a hedge that separates my yard from that of my neighbor’s.
There was an undeveloped piece of property butting up to hers. I remember the conversations well as she lamented that she hoped no one would buy the land and possibly build to obstruct her view. Well, someone did. On another of our income tax treks we had to look around corners to see those same waves. Yup! Someone built on the adjacent property. It was sad, but in her words, “They could have purchased that property and they chose not to”.
Life goes on. In Dakin’s world though, it doesn’t go on easily. He and his wife Marcy (Veronica Murphy) lost one son, Spencer (Francis Gercke) in the 9/11 bombings and their other son, Alan (Manny Fernandes) is a kind of an also ran in Dakin’s eyes. He is a DUI attorney, but can’t seem to measure up to his father’s ideals.
Dakin was a teacher and when his son was killed, he kind of lost it along with his teaching job. Now he sits in his living room overlooking his terrace overlooking the ocean all day. He dictates blogs on to his computer in the form of rants and ‘notes from zone 10’.
It seems, though, from conversations, that it was Marcy who suffered something of a breakdown after Spencer died and everyone is worried about her mental stability when right under their noses, Dakin is veering farther and farther into unknown territory.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the patient from the inmate. Marcy walks her dogs to relieve stress. Dakin has angry outbursts about the possible loss of his ocean view, the quality of the air we breathe, open spaces etc., etc, etc. No one seems to be able to calm him down except when his son Spencer, his muse, corrects or challenges him. Only then do we get bits and pieces of the story oft times with explanations of what he says in his ‘zone 10’ blogs from Spencer.
Cygnet’s talented ensemble under Sean Murray’s apt direction, does the most it can with the flawed and out-of-character characters they inhabit. Tim West is the jolly dermatologist next-door neighbor, Carl, who decides to sell his home to move near his children and help his wife’s skin ‘condition’. West is a fine actor in his own right, but as Carl, he is a caricature of himself. It seems as though he’s there just to deliver the bad news to Dakin and off he runs.
Dakin tries to convince Carl to rent his house out. “No, No, No. I’m never coming back,” assures Carl. And Oh well, if the new owner builds up so be it. But wait! If Dakin wants to prevent that from happening, he can fork over five hundred thousand dollars to stop it. This from a neighbor you and your family have lived next door to forever?
Before we can blink and the ink is dry on the new bill of sale, the new owner, Diane (Monique Gaffney) a Harvard grad and enterprising real estate maven, bursts into Dakin’s house with a bottle of wine and chip on her shoulder. She’s about as nasty and angry as any neighbor can be reassuring Dakin that she will, indeed build! But why the attitude? It doesn’t make sense.
Winker makes the most of his Dakin character. Winker, am Old Globe associate and faculty member at UCSD, is one of San Diego’s finest actors and it’s great to see him on the stage once again. But all we see from him is angry and angrier which he does in a convincing way. He doesn’t understand his wife, he barely tolerates his son Alan and he seems to be a little intimidated by Spencer. He has to be given more dimension from the playwright though.
We do learn that he and his family lived in the house many years. They were barely able to purchase it at the time and he can’t fathom the luck he’s had with this great view of the ocean. All this is good, but, he has turned ballistic over this whole situation.
On balance Veronica Murphy’s Marcy, it seems, is in another play. She barely puts up with Dakin and his temper outbursts, almost to the point of being embarrassed by them. She’s mild mannered and much more in control of her wits than her husband. At the drop of a hat, she’s out walking her dogs. It’s only a matter of time that she walks herself.
Manny Fernandes is the most balanced in the family and comes across as such. A burly guy, his presence is reassuring, convincing and most natural. His knowledge of coastal law, etc., comes onto play here, but Dakin undermines him all the way. Gercke is fine when he’s taking his father to task, but seems too full of himself as he paces back and fourth staring out the sliding glass doors appearing and disappearing. It’s eerie.
Once again Sean Flanning has designed a lovely set with comfortable living room with step down to the terrace. Interestingly, the sliding glass doors of the living room don’t overlook the ocean but shadows on scrims with metal beams skewed (the twin towers?) and lit with Shawna Cadences lighting design of flashing colors in the background that keep showing up. Corey Johnson’s sound design is the most telling character in the play.
“The tragedy of the commons is a term coined by scientist/Ecologist Garret Hardin in 1968 describing what can happen in groups when individuals act in their own best interests and ignore the whole group.” In other words, environmental catastrophes are caused ‘not by malicious outside forces but by the apparently innocent behaviors of many individuals acting alone. ”
Metcalfe, who is a resident of La Jolla and familiar with the territory, was a popular name here as playwright many years ago when the Old Globe mounted several of his works including Strange Snow, Vikings and White Linen. The Tragedy Of The Commons was inspired when Metcalfe saw the McMansions popping up around his neighborhood and feared one might even spoil his view.
This partnership between Cygnet and local playwright presenting a world premiere is a move in the right direction for both director Sean Murray and Metcalfe. Metcalfe’s problem play needs help if only by reason of the fact that most of the population is hardly affected by losing an ocean front view, let alone considering it a tragedy. Given that the loss of one’s view is a metaphor for the bigger picture one might want to look at world hunger that is unquestionably a tragedy. Homeless in our downtown inner city is a tragedy. Global warming, yes, is a tragedy of the commons.
Metcalfe’s premise is a thoughtful one and surely could use deeper exploration. But more than the topic at hand, I wished I could care about the people involved in this so-called tragedy.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through Feb. 20th
Organization: Cygnet Theatre Company
Phone: 619-337-1525
Production Type: Drama
Where: 4040 Twiggs Street, Old Town
Ticket Prices: $24.00-$49.00
Web: cygnettheatre.com
Venue: Theatre in Old Town