Steinbeck Novel Comes to Chatham Stage

Beginning Friday, the stage at the will be transformed into the wide, open expanses of the midwest, the ranches of California and the iconic Route 66 for the ' production of "The Grapes of Wrath."

Director Frank Licato sees the play, based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, as a universal, yet quintessentially American, story. "It centers on family, and we all grow up with family, we all have family," Licato said. And just as, within one's own family, one goes from being a child to an elder, "you see all that with the Joads. You see that generational continuum."

The story follows the Joad family as they migrate in the midst of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression from their Oklahoma farm, which has been taken over by the bank, to California. They travel along Route 66, living in shanty camps called Hoovervilles, and eventually become ranch hands on California farms for pennies a day.

"You just have this great compassion that Steinbeck had for people, and for people who want a fair shake: People who want to work, want to raise a family, want to put food on the table, ... and are still being accused of being lazy," Licato said. "Continually their dignity is taken away, and that's what really starts to beat them down the most."

The play has 27 actors, most playing several characters. The story contains numerous subplots and small scenes, and Licato said he uses the entire stage. "Just the challenges architecturally of where do you put people, how do you place people for whoever's story you're telling at that minute," he said.

"We tend to think of it as Tom and Ma's story, but it's not just their story. There's all these small stories going on at the same time, and they're just as complex and rich. So how do you move it in and out of a small space like this?" he asked.

"This play goes from very intimate scenes with the family to very crowded scenes because they're in camps. And then you have the car, which deserves a credit in the program," Licato said. "They have great technicians here, and they were able to solve this problem in this tiny space."

But it's the story of the Joads that continues to appeal to Licato. "The thing that keeps striking me again and again is how American it is, how much a part of the American experience it is. ...

"There's something about this play that we all recognize almost immediately about ourselves," Licato said. "It's really about this sense of who we are at the core of a nation, what our values are and how we continually battle over what our responsibilities are and what we care about."

This is Licato's first time directing at the Chatham Community Players, which is currently in its 90th season. His former credits include Off-Broadway productions of "Centennial Casting," "Seduced" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight." He has worked in film and on various New York stages, and teaches at Weiss Barron studios in New York and at the Philadelphia Acting Studio.

"The Grapes of Wrath" plays at the on March 2, 3, 9, 19, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. and March 11 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for youths and seniors.