'The Grown-Up,' Now at Convergence-Continuum, Might Lack Deep Insights But the Acting Makes it Plenty of Fun

Sometimes you go to see a play when the script is so dazzling, you’re willing to put up with some bad acting as long as you can experience the playwright’s deathless words. Then there is the opposite, plays with a weak script but boasting strong direction and acting.

The latter is the case with The Grown-Up by Jordan Harrison, now at Convergence-Continuum theater. Harrison is one of the most interesting young playwrights on the scene, and he is capable of crafting some wondrous plays and speeches. The trouble in this case is he’s reaching for a magical tour through one person’s lifetime, and there are not enough engrossing scenes that lead somewhere.

But not to worry. Director Amy Bistok and her six-person cast manage to turn Harrison’s borderline pretentious palaver into a small treasure, thanks to some sharp characterizations and an apparent belief that the words they are saying make sense.

The lead character is Kai, whom we meet when he’s just a boy, llistening to his grandfather spin tales of his days on a ship trawling the seven seas. Kai’s younger sister Anna Bell is listening in as Gramps unloads a story about a glass doorknob in his house, which he says was originally the glass eye of his ship’s figurehead. Holding the doorknob in his hand, he tells Kai the boy can use the knob on any door and it will take him to different places and times.

Well, okay, so far that’s a cute setup for a fairytale adventure, but when Kai follows grandpop’s advice, it turns out the doors he opens take him into his own future. At various junctures, we see 20-something, wanna-be screenwriter Kai pitching an idea to a Hollywood bigwig Mr. See, then bedded down in his 30s with a male lover, and later in his mid 50s with a younger stud. We even see Kai in his dotage, in a wheelchair with his legs amputated and receiving an award for his writing. There is also a seafaring First Mate from Gramps memory ship, adding some more details to the doorknob yarn.

Along the way, Anna Bell pursues Kai to try and protect him, although we don’t know much about the origin of her sibling devotion. It’s all a fairly convoluted mess. And you would be justified wanting to jump off this bit of nonsense, except for the fact that the performers, most of whom are cast in multiple roles, keep you riveted for all of the 90 minutes.

As Kai, Mike Frye is believable at all ages and manages to make us care about him even though his life—at least the part we see—is not all that interesting. David L Munnell is a creepy delight as the fey Mr. See and happily does a version of that character in his other roles. As the doddering grandfather, the ripped First Mate, and a couple others, Logan Andrews displays excellent versatility physically and otherwise.

Andrews is matched in the versatility department by Katelyn Cornelius, who makes each of her four roles distinct and amusing, including her Rosie who is the Adderall addicted assistant to Mr. See. Jack Matueszewski and Natalie Lambo fill out the character list with similar style.

Harrison’s vehicle relies way too much on thematic recaps linked to the life flash-forwards instead of just telling the story. It’s a theatrical bucking bronco that could throw many directors. But Bistok proves more than equal to the challenge. She helps her actors draw out the humor and pathos of the characters, even though playwright Harrison leaves her and the actors in the lurch at several moments. She is aided by Clyde Simon’s clever multi-platform scenic design and projections, which are helpful at least part of the time.

All in all, The Grown-Up lands on its feet when it could have easily crashed through theatrical guardrails and landed upside down in a ditch. And while you may not come away with cogent new thoughts about the passage of time and the value of the moment, you’ll have some genuine fun.

The Grown-Up
Through November 4 at Convergence-Continuum theater performing at The Liminis Theater, 2438 Scranton Road, Cleveland, 216-687-0074, convergence-continuum.org.

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