Riding pine

Good things sometimes come in small packages, and Benched—still in the early days of a long run in the Sacramento Theatre Company’s little Stage Two—is a case in point.

As an evening’s entertainment, the show is a very pleasant experience. But it also represents some encouraging trends that are underway at several levels within the Sacramento Theatre Company.

The script is a new one, written by Richard Broadhurst, a New York expatriate who came to Sacramento by way of Los Angeles. (It’s always good to see a local theater company working together with a playwright who resides in the area.) And Broadhurst has come up with a rather ingenious piece of work, a fable about forgiveness—forgiving oneself as much as anybody—that is by turns an effective heart-tugger, a sharp comedy studded with some very funny lines, and a deft (and by no means entirely sweet) commentary on the folly of letting self-absorption sway momentary decisions, accruing negative results that can linger for years as regrets.

The story, at the outset, involves two seemingly unrelated older men who encounter each other at a park bench in New York City. That in itself is a rather uncommon thing—one seldom sees a play in which the central characters are guys in their 60s or 70s.

And Benched features two savvy, stage-wise veterans—each with literally decades of experience, extending back to Broadway—who are a pleasure to watch, especially in a cozy space like Stage Two, where the seats (all 90 of them) are only a few rows deep. (Compare the experience to the recent touring production of Proof, which was also well cast, but felt diluted in the oversized setting of the 2,300 seat Community Center Theater.)

Benched features Eddie Jones, who makes good use of his full figure and big, flexible face, giving a very good performance as the sorrowful, skeptical, pessimistic Max, who’s largely withdrawn from life and is close to the end of his rope. Playing the optimistic opposite is Rod Loomis (a relatively recent arrival in Sacramento, who it’s hoped we’ll see more of in the future) as the initially mysterious Randall, who turns out to be a very interesting character indeed.

Rounding out the cast are two young local actors who do good work in small parts. Stephanie Gularte’s performances have been praised in this space before—with this part, she’s making the transition to professional status (and it’s good to see a local theater company assisting in this upward move). Brian Henderson has been notable in two recent community productions at the Actors Theatre—his work in Benched is further indication that he’s a young man to watch.

Benched is one of those plays that could easily be spoiled by describing too much in advance—suffice to say that there are a few surprises in store, so allow yourself to sit back and enjoy them. Director Michael Butler deploys his resources rather in the way a clever illusionist does the Indian rope trick—the show is a steadily rising spiral, without intermission. (Any sort of interruption might break the delicately sustained spell that Jones and Loomis are conjuring.) It’s not a blockbuster—it’s more of a carefully arranged charmer, which proves to be deeper and more complex than you might think at the outset.