Theatre Review

Tell Us a Story
Strong cast highlights uneven Storytelling Ability of a Boy

By J.W. Arnold

Marshall Pailet, Bethany Anne Lind and Laura Carbonell in The Storytelling Ability of a Boy at Florida Stage Theatre. Photo: Ken Jacques Photography

For nearly 20 years, I thought I had blocked out my own angst-ridden, hormone-fueled, socially awkward teen years in a small-minded farm town in the middle of Missouri. But those memories were suddenly yanked back to the fore at the Florida Stage premiere of Carter W. Lewis’ The Storytelling Ability of a Boy.

Lewis introduces audiences to three instantly familiar characters in this adolescent narrative: Peck (Marshall Pailet), the brilliant 17-year-old geek with a talent for spinning out colorful stories on the spot (hence, the title); Dora (Bethany Anne Lind), the angry rebel and the misguided object of Peck’s affections; and Caitlyn (Laura Carbonell), the naïve young English teacher who unwittingly—or wittingly—becomes entangled in the teens’ complicated relationship in an attempt to nurture Peck’s talent.

Unfortunately, just as the relationships really start to get interesting about two-thirds of the way through the one-act play, Lewis seems to get carried away with himself, sending his carefully crafted—and plenty complicated—drama teetering on the absurd, going from “Dr. Phil” confessions to “Jerry Springer” knock-down.

Apparently puberty and the sexual misadventures that result aren’t sufficient material for a 90-minute play. Even the torment Peck suffers at the hands of cruel bullies or the vivid stories he constructs with Dora are enough—even when they involve imagined sex acts with deceased operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti..

A tense moment in The Storytelling Ability of a Boy. Photo: Ken Jacques Photography

Fortunately, the strong cast, under the direction of Louis Tyrrell, saves Lewis from himself. Pailet is brilliant as Peck, moving seamlessly from storyteller to character, and carefully balancing the teen’s intellectual genius with his untested adult impulses. Lind’s Dora is angry at the world, but she manages to convey a genuine sense of vulnerability at the same time. Any young abuse victim dealing with sexual orientation issues would undoubtedly be a complicated person, but Lind makes her real, avoiding the two-dimensional caricature that other actors might quickly conjure up. Only Carbonell occasionally fails to convince, struggling to channel any dimension from Lewis’ weakest character, coming across more like an amateur, if enthusiastic, Teach for America volunteer through much of the show.

Technically, the cast is supported by strong sound design from Matt Kelly and lighting by John McFadden, using the senses to transport the audience from present to past and schoolhouse to soliloquy. The spare set by Victor Becker is dominated by the façade of Caitlyn’s home, perhaps reflecting the distorted role her character assumes later in the play.

The Storytelling Ability of a Boy runs through January 17 at Florida Stage in Manalapan. For tickets and more information, visit www.floridastage.org.

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