THEATER REVIEW : Lack of Gimmickry Brings Depth to Portrayal of the Elephant Man

Downstage we see a life-size projection of a horribly deformed human cauliflower of a figure known as the Elephant Man and ballyhooed in a garish adjacent poster as half-pachyderm and half-human. The hideous black-and-white photograph is an actual enlargement showing the real-life Victorian circus performer John Merrick, who was later rescued from the circus and even socially celebrated before his death at 29 in 1890.

At the same time, upstage to the left, stands a non-deformed young man (actor Steven Memel), who slowly twists and contorts his body into the gnarled figure of the man in the picture--a leering, shuffling, vocally distorted youth whom the actor must emotionally redefine under the deepening momentum of the play.

The overlapping imagery is a masterful device and establishes the compelling style of Bernard Pomerance’s “The Elephant Man” at the Knightsbridge Theatre in the heart of Old Town.

By not donning a mask or grotesque makeup, the actor is much better able to convey the interior emotions of his character--giving the impression of a misshapen body without the off-putting distraction of its physical reality.

This play has not often been seen here since its 1980-81 national tour and subsequent David Lynch movie adaptation (in which grotesque makeup did disguise the actor). But it remains an exceptional, fresh work, deceptively written, full of vivid characters (20 in all, performed by 10 multiple-playing cast members) and thematically provocative under the strong direction of company co-founder Joseph P. Stachura.

“The Elephant Man” is not a freak show. To the contrary, it questions conventional standards of what constitutes normalcy, reinvents the old Beauty and the Beast myth and eviscerates human preoccupation with image over substance.

As Memel’s hulking protagonist is taken in and nurtured by London’s medical and cultural elite (most earnestly represented by Preston Maybank’s staunch but self-serving physician, Frederick Treves, and Barbara Naylor’s glittery, confident London actress, Mrs. Kendall), the disfigured hero begins to flourish. Gradually his sensitivity and intelligence (he likes to read Thomas Hardy) begin to radiate and alter the views of those around him.

Memel, adapting naturally to his challenging role, is so convincing that he artfully negotiates the uncanny trick of appearing repellent and attractive at the same time--the final measure of his and director Stachura’s achievements.

Richly cloaked in period costumes by designer Sallie Licata and austerely designed and lit by director Stachura, the show wisely opts for no intermission. A scene near the end in which Naylor’s disrobing actress awakens the Elephant Man to his stirrings of sexual desire, is tastefully, even poignantly, staged.

Otherwise, the production’s rather deliberate and measured tone is enlivened by swiftly sketched supporting characters. Notable are Sarah Courtney and Priscilla Finch, who segue between elegant royal countesses and freakish physiological pinheads in carnival-like striped T-shirts, and Horace Martin, who colorfully dovetails dual portraits of a doctor and a crass circus huckster.

*

British accents, led by Maybank’s physician, are uniformly authentic. A cellist (Jennifer Novak Chun) sits behind a gauzy curtain, subtly underscoring the formal Victorian climate and linking the drama’s numerous scenes with grave and forlorn classical music.

The Knightsbridge, committed to staging multiple productions simultaneously, is alternating “The Elephant Man” with a British farce (“Situation Comedy”), an Agatha Christie mystery (“Black Coffee”) and an evening of cabaret music (“The Ways of the Heart”).

* “The Elephant Man,” Knightsbridge Theatre, 35 S. Raymond Ave., Braley Bldg., Old Town, Saturday, 5 p.m., Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Ends May 15. $15. (818) 440-0821. Running time: 2 hours.