New Ground Theatre's 'Wit' is a hit
By Sean Leary, Entertainment Editor, ARGUS/DISPATCH -- February 6, 2003

`Wit,’ a play by Margaret Edson, will be presented by New Ground Theatre at 7:30 tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in Becherer Hall on the campus of Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf. Tickets are $12, $10 for students and seniors. Call (563) 326-7529.

If a Quad-Cities Tony Award existed, Corinne Johnson most certainly would get at least a nomination for it this year for her performance in ``Wit,'' New Ground Theatre's terrific new drama.

Ms. Johnson is on stage the entire two hours of the play as Dr. Vivian Bearing, a brilliant scholar of metaphysical poetry who deconstructs her life as cancer disintegrates her body.

Tracing her love of academics from childhood through her present, Dr. Bearing presents us with a character whose vast intelligence has impeded her ability to build simple emotional bonds with people -- both intentionally and unintentionally. It leaves her with little to fall back on in the end, when gut feeling is all that remains of her existence.

We see her, over and over again, overlook the emotional impact of life events and artistic works by over-analyzing them. It's not that Dr. Bearing can't see the forest for the trees; it's that she can't see the forest at all. She's too busy counting the veins on the leaves of the trees.

In over-pondering a childhood book, she misses a very simple parable. In dissecting poetry for her college students, she completely drains it of its passion. The only way in which her ability to detach is an ironic advantage is during the initial stages of her cancer treatment, as she's able to stand outside herself and view the curious deterioration of her physical body and the effects of the various treatments and medicines upon it.

The point of ``Wit’’ is a complex one, pondering how difficult it is to mingle the ways of the mind and the heart and presenting the daunting task of achieving greatness on both levels simultaneously. The show is masterfully written, playing on several different levels and presenting us with various characters that exhibit shades of the same conundrum.

However, for all its intellectual bearing, it still remains a powerful and at times darkly amusing show (i.e., it takes its own point seriously). Ms. Johnson creates for us a character who is compelling because of her flaws, who the audience can't help but feel compassion and pity for; actually, we can't help but feel a kind of gratitude upon her finale.

The supporting cast is terrific, particularly Craig Michaels and Tony Falgiani as a duo of cold, calculating physicians and Stephanie Massick as an uncomplicated, sweet nurse who teaches the dying professor a few simple but profound lessons.

New Ground Theatre has yet to produce a less-than-stellar show, and ``Wit'' is merely the latest in the line. It's deep, but very accessible, and while being dramatic, it has enough humor and changes in tone that it's palatable and not relentlessly dour. It's definitely recommended viewing, particularly for Ms. Johnson's amazing performance.

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