Con Art

Randle P. McMurphy, the central figure in Dale Wasserman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” almost qualifies as a tragic image of classical proportions. He strides grandly toward his doom, unaware that the forces of nature have predetermined his fate.

The play based on the Ken Kesey novel is a striking parable about fitting in. McMurphy, committed to a mental hospital through subterfuge because of his dislike of prison labor, doesn’t know that his stay in the institution will not end with the end of his term. A control freak, his thoughtless attempt to run things is his undoing.

In a striking revival at Stages, director Terry McNicol has a firm grip on its intent and insights and creates an edgy vein of tension. That tension hints at McMurphy’s destiny, and its shadows and rhythms bring the trials of the inmates to powerful reality.

Gavin Carlton’s McMurphy is a good ol’ boy, almost joyous in his quest for good and easy times. Every once in a while he sneaks in a moment of introspection, but McMurphy is uncomfortable looking inward, and Carlton doesn’t dwell for long in the darkness.

Director McNicol has made McMurphy’s nemesis, head nurse Ratched, an icon, a laid-back deus ex machina, almost without humanity, cool and all-seeing. Jennifer Bishton, as Ratched, hints only slightly at the emotions beneath her sleek aloofness. She’s as much of a control freak as McMurphy, but her powers are bigger.

The effective supporting cast understands that “playing” insane does not work on stage. They are real, and they are frequently quite moving.

Ken Jaedicke’s Chief Bromden, whose drunken father sold his tribe’s birthright to the white man, is a powerful presence, even though he doesn’t speak for most of the play. His voice-overs, speeches to his dead father, show Jaedicke’s tender simplicity as he tries to understand what is happening to him. As Dale Harding, who committed himself to the institution because of a soul-crushing feelings of inferiority to his wife, Frank Tryon is just as touching, his tics and evasions just barely hiding a bright mind that never loses its logic.

*

Robert Nunez is Billy Bibbit, the young virgin unable to sever the apron strings that are strangling him; for his insight into and empathy for Billy’s trauma, Nunez is a standout. Although Dave Amitin could be a little less the ineffective bumbler as Dr. Spivey, the balance is right between his careless acquiescence and Ratched’s rigid control.

In the large cast, there are few missteps from top to bottom, from Susana Garcia’s frisky Candy Starr, who brings to the hospital a party that signals McMurphy’s doom, to the slightly sadistic grin of Joseph Hamblen’s cold Aide Williams.

Again, the technical work and the imaginative use of the small space is superlative. Stages is building a solid reputation, and this meaty revival is another laurel leaf in its crown.

* “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Stages, 1188 N. Fountain Way, Suite E, Anaheim. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. Ends July 13. $10. (714) 630-3059. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.

Gavin Carlton: Randle P. McMurphy

Jennifer Bishton: Nurse Ratched

Ken Jaedicke: Chief Bromden

Frank Tryon: Dale Harding

Robert Nunez: Billy Bibbit

Dave Amitin: Dr. Spivey

Susana Garcia: Candy Starr

Joseph Hamblen: Aide Williams

A Stages production of Dale Wasserman’s drama, based on the novel by Ken Kesey. Produced by Adam Clark. Directed by Terry McNicol. Scenic design: Patrick Gwaltney, Alec Vargo. Lighting design: Bill Mittler. Sound design: Paige Giffin. Costumes: Amber Jackson.