L-R Scott Greenwell & Bill Simmons – Courtesy of Ghost Light Productions. Used with permission.
After waiting in the wings to be produced for the last few years, “Love Bird” is finally seeing the light of the day. An outré romantic comedy by local playwright K.T. Peterson, it made its world premiere on Friday on the Russell Stage at Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre in downtown Indianapolis.
A performer, director, playwright and educator, Peterson has enjoyed a 15-year collaboration with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. A voice major at Indiana University, she received her master’s degrees from Iowa Playwrights Workshop and Towson University in Maryland, where she taught rhetoric and acting.
Peterson’s intimate tale is based on a true story of a seabird named Nigel (named by New Zealand environmentalists), who spent his life on a remote island tending a nest made from trash that washed up on shore. In Peterson’s vision, another bird, or in this context could be read as human, named Norman shows up unexpectedly and the two of them find love. Drawing on multiple themes of queerness, loneliness, the nature of devotion, a disposable society, and physical and emotional connection, Peterson’s play is sweet, funny and simply endearing.
The play was directed by Jolene Mentink Moffatt, a Phoenix regular who recently starred in “Bakersfield Mist.” Seated in front of me during the performance and audibly reacting throughout the show, it was obvious she was delighted by her handiwork, as well she should have been. I have always felt actors make good directors and Moffatt is no exception, especially when she’s working with peers like Scot Greenwell and Bill Simmons.
Both well-regarded local actors, Greenwell as Nigel and Meisner-teacher Simmons (Phoenix’s former artistic director who is now focusing on fundraising) as Norman showed chemistry portraying an odd couple coming to terms with what they want their relationship to be.
Scott Greenwell – Courtesy of Indy Ghost Light Photography. Used with permission.
One of the better character actors around, Greenwell was, at times, magnificent as the prickly, fastidious, and often-rigid Nigel set in his ways and whose world is turned upside down when Norman appears and offers him love, a prospect that throws him for a loop. Adopting bird-like characteristics, especially in Nigel’s walk, and a host of physical tics and idiosyncrasies, Greenwell created a vivid character that will long be memorable for its inventiveness.
Simmons’s Norman, who carried himself with an imposing elegance that spoke to perhaps a more polished breeding than Nigel, also fashioned a character that was unique for its colorful mannerisms. Speaking in a breathless voice and carrying himself with sweeping movement (reminiscent of Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard”) whenever he crossed the stage, Norman came off like the preening, grand dame he was, but also more sensitive and vulnerable than Nigel, who is not his emotional equal.
The whimsical look of Nigel and Norman whose clothes suggested plumage, was the work of Indy native and currently New York-based costume designer Beck Jones, who studied at the prestigious Parsons School of Design and is now working as a production assistant at “Saturday Night Live.” Exhibiting uncommon talent via the design and construction of his costumes, Jones, who got his start with Justin Wade’s React (formerly Young Actors Theatre), offered compelling evidence he is someone to watch as he forges his path in the theatre, TV and film world.
Another part of what an all-star artistic team has created for “Love Bird” is the set design of prolific Indy artist Kyle Ragsdale. Utilizing his unique vision, he translates his distinctive style as a painter into three-dimensional form through his creation of the island Nigel has painstakingly decorated with the human refuse he has lovingly recycled and made his home.
Bill Simmons – Courtesy of Ghost Light Photography. Used with permission.
Completing one of the best technical productions I have seen, thus far, on any stage this season is the spectacular lighting design of Michael Moffatt, which impressively captures the weather conditions, including the hot, sunny days and stormy nights that fluctuate on the island and which also create the magical ambiance that permeates the production. On a personal note, it has been with great interest and pride that I have followed the career of Moffatt, with whom I once worked when I managed the Edyvean Repertory Theatre in the late 90s. Since then, I have favorably reviewed numerous shows he has designed, including many for Summer Stock Stage. Complementing Moffatt’s visual representation of Nigel’s world, sound designer Jordan Munson set the tone for this unconventional love story with his music score, sounds of the elements, and even waves rolling up to the shore.
Since returning to review live performing arts events that slowly trickled back last spring, I am happy to report I still feel the collective energy of audiences who are grateful to experience in-person shows after being deprived of them during the months spent in lockdown. After witnessing the outstanding artistic collaboration that is “Love Bird,” with its message of human connection, I don’t foresee those feelings fading anytime soon.
For tickets and information about “Love Bird” that runs through Feb. 20, visit phoenixtheatre.org.
