STAGE REVIEW : Ferzacca’s ‘Failure to Zig-Zag’ Follows an Unfortunate Course

“The Failure to Zig-Zag,” John Ferzacca’s courtroom drama about the World War II sinking of the heavy cruiser Indianapolis and the scapegoating of its captain by the U.S. Navy, steams straight ahead in its determination to lay out the facts of that sorry case.

Though very much a period piece of the faraway ‘40s, “Zig-Zag” has undeniable relevance to the Navy of today. As recently as two weeks ago, Navy officials apologized to the family of a dead serviceman for unjustly blaming him for a 1989 gun-turret explosion that killed 47 sailors aboard the battleship Iowa.

But Ferzacca is so preoccupied with the extraordinary details of what happened on the fateful night of July 29, 1945--when the Indianapolis was hit by Japanese torpedoes--that his own failure to zigzag has resulted in a documentary script for talking heads. In its present form, at least, it would be better off staged as a radio play than as a theatrical production.

Nevertheless, director Alex Golson and the large cast of “Zig-Zag,” which opened over the weekend in Orange Coast College’s Drama Lab, go to great lengths to visualize both the courtroom scenes that dominate the play and the shipboard scenes witnessed in flashback. If they’re not always successful--a lengthy slide show at the beginning of the first act is particularly ill-advised--it is not for lack of effort or, in several instances, watchable performances.

From the very beginning we know without a doubt where the author’s sympathies lie. He believes Capt. Charles B. McVay III is innocent of the charges brought against him. There is never any question of Ferzacca’s belief that doltish Navy admirals are prosecuting McVay strictly in a face-saving attempt to whitewash policies that contributed to the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of the ship’s crew.

This strategy would be acceptable for a documentary: Establish at the outset that a grave injustice has been done and fill in the details, while pointing out the historic ironies along the way. But it’s not such a good idea for a play, which needs balancing arguments and persuasive characters on both sides of a conflict as well as a resolution that isn’t tipped in advance. The author’s foregone conclusions shouldn’t be so readily apparent.

As McVay’s trial unfolds, we discover how the crew regarded its captain; how McVay regarded the crew and the Navy; whether a zigzag course would, in fact, have prevented the Japanese submarine from hitting its target; what the weather was like on the night of the sinking; what the Japanese captain had to say; whether McVay gave a timely order to abandon ship; why the Navy failed to mount a rescue sooner, and so on.

All of this makes an epic tale, underscored by Nils Anderson’s sturdy portrayal of McVay as a man of honor who loved and trusted the Navy a whole lot more than it loved or trusted him. Anderson manages to inject a note of dark sobriety into his rather taciturn role. But even his authoritative, sympathetic manner can’t compensate for certain lapses of writing and directing, as when he seems about to launch into a character-revealing monologue and then has only a few insignificant lines to deliver.

Other players worth noting include Jioh Joe Byun, in an electrifying appearance as Hasimoto, the Japanese submarine captain who has more important things to say about war and human nature than all the other characters combined; David Scaglione in a cameo as an American submarine captain skeptical of armchair admirals; Vilo Del Rio in a vivid turn as an enlisted man, and Jim Kowalski in quiet support as McVay’s loyal second-in-command.

An earlier version of “The Failure to Zig-Zag” premiered at the Laguna Playhouse’s Moulton Theatre in 1978. Since then, Ferzacca is reported to have rewritten the script considerably. In all that time, though, hasn’t anybody found a better title?

‘The Failure to Zig-Zag’

Adm. Wall: Floyd Phillips

Capt. Charles B. McVay III: Nils Anderson

Lt. Comdr. Alan Brett: Jim Kowalski

Lewis Greene: Jim Carnett

Wayne Pulaski: Mike Bruno

Sam Bertelli: Vilo Del Rio

Marcus Kingman: Bryan Prince

Brian T. Samuelson: Robert Wood

Dallas Loften: David Henee

Mickey Johnson: Greg Harris

Thomas Abernathy: Bill Meadows

Capt. James Harcourt: Mike Collins

Harold Schmidt: Daniel Combs

Capt. Dwight Effis: Quintin S. Powell

Jon T. Sullivan: Tom Turner

Arnold Dalburg: Eric Anderson

Mochitsura Hasimoto: Jioh Joe Byun

Glynn Donaho: David Scaglione

An Orange Coast College Theatre Department presentation of a play by John Ferzacca. Directed by Alex Golson. Also with Philippe Bergerioux, John Jones, Todd Kulcyzk, Fran Price and Eddy Hansen. Production manager Elizabeth Hoffman. Set design by David Scaglione. Lighting by Golson. Sound by Mike Patrick. Costumes design by Kelly Ragan. Performances are Thursday to Sunday at 8 p.m., Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. at the Drama Lab of Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Through Nov. 17. Tickets $5 to $7. Information: (714) 432-5527.