‘The Graduate’ nostalgic, simultaneously relevant
Charles Webb’s 1963 novel “The Graduate” inspired the 1967 film, a classic piece of American cinema. A 2000 stage adaptation by Terry Johnson borrows from both the book and movie and is designed to inspire nostalgia yet stand as a relevant piece of modern theater.
“We have a lot of the iconic themes from the movie,” says Brian Kite, who directs the L.A. Theatre Works production that will visit the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. “We hit a lot of the important notes of the movie while still making it new.”
That means several of the film’s iconic themes are present. Expect to see protagonist Benjamin Braddock in scuba gear and a dramatic climax held inside a church. There will be some of the Simon & Garfunkel music that wafts over the film’s soundtrack. And, one word: plastics.
However, Kite stresses, the play isn’t designed merely as a trip down memory lane.
“The same themes resonate now,” he says. “Benjamin is in the same place as a lot of today’s graduates. There is political turmoil in the world. He is trying to navigate through people that are tough and sick and disgust him. He’s just figuring out what’s next for him, and people now have lost their jobs and they’re searching for what’s next in their lives.”
L.A. Theatre Works stages shows like radio plays. Actors speak into microphones that face the audience. Unlike a traditional radio play, however, there are costumes and the actors engage in some bits of When: 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28. Where: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St. Admission: $29-$59. Details: 480-499-8587, scottsdaleperformingarts.org. stage business.
“It is freeing for the actors to just focus on the acting,” Kite says. “But they are more vulnerable when they’re looking more closely at the audience.”
Actor Brian Tichnell plays Benjamin, a recent college graduate who is seduced by the mucholder Mrs. Robinson. Dustin Hoffman immortalized the role, but Kite tried to keep that out of his mind during casting.
“I wasn’t looking for Dustin Hoffman’s mannerisms,” Kite says. “I was looking for a manner that was able to capture that kind of struggle, that innocence and experience, all at once. “
He reports that people have come up to him after viewing Tichnell’s performance, saying they were worried they were going to have the image of Hoffman stuck in their mind.
“Once it’s over, they say, ‘Oh, it’s Benjamin Braddock,’ ” Kite says. “Brian is able to take them there.”