A Matter of Appearance

John Merrick was born with skin and bone conditions so severe that they resulted in crippling deformity and extreme ugliness.

Still, under the care of physician Frederick Treves, Merrick became a darling of Victorian London society, with a reputation as an artist and philosopher. That relationship, documented in several books, became the basis of a hit stage play that opened in London in late 1977, and of a 1980 film, both titled “The Elephant Man.”

The film is not officially based on the play, but that’s of interest to lawyers and accountants. The fact-based stories are, in most important ways, the same.

The play, by American Bernard Pomerance, is the current presentation of director Georgeanne Lees, who brought a very good “To Kill a Mockingbird” to the Thousand Oaks Arts Council Center a year ago. The production includes a couple of outstanding performances in an entertaining and thought-provoking play.

Treves (Mark Andrew Reyes), recently added to the staff of a hospital, discovers Merrick (Justin Lees-Smith, the director’s son) in a sideshow, where a fellow named Ross (Tom Norman) is charging for an opportunity to view the hideous “half man-half elephant.”

Eventually, Treves brings Merrick to the hospital for full-time observation and isolation from the world.

Pomerance is a playwright, not a historian, and he’s evidently more interested in making points about fitting in, judging a book by its cover and so on than in explaining things like how Merrick was able to speak so eloquently with no formal education and little informal opportunity to pick up such things.

Lees-Smith creates his character without benefit of makeup, though graphic photographs of the real Merrick are displayed to the audience. Thyra Lees-Smith (Justin’s wife) portrays the courageous actress Mrs. Kendal; Brian C. Donohue is seen as the bullying Ross, and Gordon Durich and Christopher Hoag are seen as a couple of sympathetic types.

Fable of Death

About a mile from the Arts Council Center, the Conejo Players are presenting Paul Osborne’s “On Borrowed Time” as the first of this season’s Conejo Afternoon Theater productions.

Director Aron Eisenberg makes a promising Conejo debut with this curious play, whose attitude toward death may make it Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s favorite.

Beating death--or the devil--is a common theme in folklore, and “On Borrowed Time” is a fable. “Gramps” Northrup manages to postpone his own passing in order to raise his young grandson, “Pud.” Death is represented by the mysterious Mr. Brink.

Based on a novel by Lawrence Edward Watkin, “On Borrowed Time” was filmed in 1939 with a cast including Lionel Barrymore and Cedric Hardwicke as Northrup and Brink, respectively.

Jack Rubens makes a terrific Conejo Players debut in the role of Gramps, playing opposite kids (notably Randi Saxer as Pud) and a dog and coming out smiling.

Dot DuMont plays Gramps’ wife; Randy James is the smooth Mr. Brink; and Annie Sullivan-Mauger is in the deliciously dastardly role of orphan Pud’s Aunt Demetria, waiting for Gramps to die so she can watch over Pud--and his inheritance.

Also notable among the supporting cast are Lou DuMont, Ken Johnson and Lew Silverman as skeptical civic leaders, and Deborah Huber as the Northrups’ housekeeper.

The handsome stage set features an enormous tree, built for a recent production of the play in La Mirada, and “transplanted” to Thousand Oaks for the run.

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BE THERE

“The Elephant Man” continues through Feb. 15 at the Arts Council Center, 482 Greenmeadow Road (off Moorpark Road) in Thousand Oaks. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; tickets are $10; $8 for seniors and students. For reservations (strongly recommended) or information, call 381-2747.

“On Borrowed Time” continues through Feb. 22 at the Conejo Players Theater, 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. Shows are at 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. All tickets are $5, at the box office on day of admission only. For information, call 495-3715.