FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Patrice Scott, left, stars as Mrs. Robinson, Allen Cole as Mr. Robinson, Justin Brossier as Benjamin and Karen Valasek as Benjamin's mother, Mrs. Braddock, in Manoa Valley Theatre's production of "The Graduate."

Comic liberties warp
tale of alienation

It might not be such a surprise that playwright Terry Johnson's reworking of "The Graduate" as a comedy has been an international success. It is much less painful to laugh at Benjamin Braddock's misadventures than to empathize with him or worry about the future of the hapless woman he stalks, and the cast of Manoa Valley Theatre's production milks Johnson's script for every possible chortle, giggle and yok.

"The Graduate" Presented by Manoa Valley Theatre, continues at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays through June 19. Tickets are $25. Call 988-6131 or visit www.manoavalleytheatre.com.

Justin Brossier (Benjamin) plays the aimless and awkward protagonist with all the innocence and none of the dark alienation of the burned-out Ivy League grad described in Charles Webb's 1963 novel or seen in Dustin Hoffman's performance in the 1967 film. Brossier is excellent when the script calls for broad comedy, but the script gives him little room to develop darker facets of the character.

Patrice Scott (Mrs. Robinson) becomes every "younger man's" nightmare with her portrayal of the predatory "older woman" for whom Benjamin is a sexual convenience. Where some women might teach a younger man the subtleties of lovemaking or introduce them to a more sophisticated view of the world, Scott plays a coarse, jaded predator interested only in controlling a callow victim.

Unfortunately, Johnson's adaptation changes the balance of the relationships, punches gaping holes in the plot and then changes the ending! Benjamin's commando raid on Elaine's wedding is rewritten as an improbable series of lengthy conversations among Benjamin, Elaine, Mrs. Robinson and Mr. Robinson that end up making Elaine's decision to flee with Benjamin much more logical than it does in the book or the film.

The play then closes with a scene entirely out of Johnson's head that suggests a much brighter future for Benjamin and Elaine than Webb gave them in the novel or screenwriters Calder Willingham and Buck Henry did in the film.

It's as if Bonnie and Clyde avoided the ambush, Kim caught the last helicopter out of Saigon or Christine chose to escape with the Phantom of the Opera.

It's fine to say that this isn't the book or the film, but Johnson goes much too far.

Several invented scenes add laughs or expand Elaine's character. A long scene in which Mrs. Robinson and Elaine get drunk together after Elaine learns about her mother's affair with Benjamin serves primarily to let the actors show how well they can play "drunk." It also invents information about Elaine and her mother that is not part of Webb's story.

Anyone expecting the nudity that might have helped Johnson's version of "The Graduate" sell tickets elsewhere can save their money. Mrs. Robinson remains in street-legal attire, and she and Benjamin turn out to be the sort who keep their underwear on even during sex. True, the 1967 film avoided all but a microsecond of nudity, but Johnson's script calls for nudity and it should be there.

Maybe MVT just isn't ready for straightforward nakedness.

Allen Cole (Mr. Robinson) and Karen Valasek (Mrs. Braddock) add to the impact of this broad comedy. Valasek plays Benjamin's mother as a clueless sitcom mom. Cole brings nicely shaded suggestions of menace to his portrayal of the oblivious husband and carries one of the few relatively serious moments in the show. Unfortunately, the comic aspects so thoroughly obliterate the darker ones that Mr. Robinson's threats are instantly recognized as empty.

As broad comedy, this adaptation succeeds. As a faithful treatment of Charles Webb's classic tale of obsession and aimless alienation, it goes so far afield it should be called something other than "The Graduate."