‘Harvey’ To Open Thursday At Newtown Theatre

If ever there was a time where the collective consciousness dictated behavior and mores, it was during World War II, when women were expected to put a dress on to cook dinner after working the assembly line to make bombs all day.

Crazy just to think about it? Sure, but it was expected.

Talking to an imaginary friend? Crazy. Just plain crazy.

Starting June 23, the Newtown Arts Company will present Harvey, a work that earned playwright Mary Chase a Pulitzer Prize after it was produced on Broadway in 1944. The play will be performed through June 29 at the Newtown Theatre.

Harvey is about an extremely pleasant man, Elwood P. Dowd, who has strayed beyond societal norms, so much so that his sister wants to have him committed into a mental institution.

Elwood’s faux pas? Seeing what others can’t – a six-and-a-half-foot tall rabbit. Elwood buys movie tickets and brings along an extra coat and hat for his friend. This is extravagant behavior during times of scarcity. Almost unpatriotic. Almost committable.

Or is it?

“People’s behavior can seem bizarre to others,” said Director John Rasiej of Wycombe. “But if people just switch their paradigm a little, they can see it differently.”

Ah, there’s the rub, isn’t it? Asking people to view something that bothers them from another viewpoint.

Could Elwood just be trying to deal with rough times? Could he possibly be choosing to share his wealth with local businesses who are struggling? Or could he just be crazy? And is that bad?

In between laughs during this high-comedy, those questions and more arise. They’re not unfamiliar matters. Not only are we dealing with the same issues today, but Harvey is a beloved story, brought to life in the 1950 movie with Jimmy Stewart as Elwood.

Rasiej insists this production is not a staging of the movie, but is instead true to the original play.

“We don’t want our audience to see a live version of the movie,” he said. “Theater is a new way of looking at a story. Hopefully, people with connect with it.”

In as intimate a venue as Newtown Theatre, that should be an easy task.  Rasiej said the small space actually works well with the story.

“You get a sense of being tied down to the space,” he said. Tethered, as it is, to real life. Bound. Unlike Elwood, but very much like his sister who tries to get him committed.

If you don’t already know the story, no sense ruining it for you. If you do, expect to see something less like the well-known movie and more like the original Broadway production. On a much smaller scale, of course. Elwood would approve.

Rasiej said there’s a unique set design to look forward to, with pivoting walls and bookcases, done by DJ Markley. The cast includes Jim Banar, Rebecca Bancroft, Joanie Keehn and Joe McKernon, all of Newtown.

Also in the ensemble are Amanda Murphy of Langhorne, Hans Peters of Southampton, Mike McCollum of Churchville, Amy Fiscus of Wrightstown, Timothy Costello of Horsham, Elisabeth Smith of Levittown and Amanda Cutalo of Lawrenceville, N.J.

Elwood is played as “an affiable character” by C. Jameson Bradley of Quakertown. “The audience will see the character through him,” said Rasiej.  

Getting past Jimmy Stewart isn’t easy, but Rasiej is confident.

“I think the audience will really enjoy a nostalgic look at an old story told in a new way," he said.

Harvey runs June 23 through 29 at Newtown Theatre, 120 N. State Street. Tickets are $16 and $19. For tickets or more information, email tickets@newtownartscompany.com or visit www.newtownartscompany.com.