by John Sousanis

Special to the Oakland Press
 
 

With just a bench, a faux gazebo and a swing on the University of Detroit Mercy's Theatre Company stage, the two-actor casts of "The Last Train to Nibroc" take us from a moving train to a wooded park to the front porch of a country house.

The simple props prove unnecessary extravagances, because the actors, Andrew Parker and Jessica Cloud, easily transport the audience wherever their characters go, physically and emotionally.

Set between 1940-1943, "Nibroc" begins aboard a train with the chance encounter between a recently discharged soldier named Raleigh (Parker) and a young schoolteacher named May (Cloud). The strangers on a train discover they hale from the same part of Kentucky and begin to fall for each other.

Raleigh, who was discharged from the Army because he suffers from epilepsy, is intent on moving to New York to become a writer. And May, who has a burning desire to help others, is preparing for missionary work abroad. Their dreams seem to point in opposite directions, as do their temperaments.

Raleigh, with a gentle sense of humor and a tolerance for other people's faults is extremely sensitive about his own. His easily hurt pride is a stumbling block in his courtship of May, whose generous spirit is tempered by a judgmental streak stemming from her sheltered life.

Director David Regal tells the story with a sublime simplicity, employing few props or set pieces and trusting his cast to paint the set with an emotional palette. The approach is so successful, one wishes Regal had gone even further, limiting himself perhaps to just that bench on stage.

Playwright Arlene Hutton's production is based on stories she heard growing up about her own relatives, but if anything, the plot, which has echoes of Mark Twain and O. Henry, falls on the fantastic side.

What grounds "Nibroc" in reality is Hutton's perfect sense of character. The interactions between Raleigh and may from casual flirtation to angry confrontation to compassion engagement -- are full of nuance and life.

The relationship has a lovely ebb and flow and Parker and Cloud are so natural in the roles, it looks like they're not even trying. Make no mistake, though: Their performances are a virtuoso accomplishment.

The extremely charismatic actors understand their characters' limitations but are never condescending. They allow the weaknesses of Raleigh and May to complement their strengths, creating human beings who are all the more likable for being complete and unique.

Parker's easy laugh and laid-back manners are paired with subtle changes in demeanor that underscore how thin-skinned the proud Kentuckian is. And Cloud offsets May's nervous energy and tendency to jump to conclusions with and endearing eagerness to do right and a palpable attraction to Raleigh.

Best of all, the actors play off of each other perfectly -- there's not a canned line in either performance. Parker laughs at May when we do, color comes to Cloud's cheeks when she's embarrassed; both actors are in every moment and as a result so are we.

The pair even succeeds in making the play's central misunderstanding (in which the educated May makes a mistake even her grade school students wouldn't make) seem almost plausible.

"The Last Train to Nibroc" is a fairy tale about love in rural Kentucky, but its magic comes from Hutton's full exploration of character.

The play depends entirely on the cast's ability to bring the fully drawn protagonists to life and under Regal's keen conductorship, Parker and Cloud make the train trip to "Nibroc" an eminently enjoyable ride.