KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Eric Nemoto, left, is Taylor and Wil Kahele is Harold in The Actors Group drama "K2."
Under what circumstances would you leave your best friend to die? Under what circumstances would you tell your best friend to do so? Those questions percolate through the Actors Group production of "K2" in the Windward Community College Little Theatre. Talented actors
and director deliver
thought-provoking play
Review by John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com"K2" is the story of Taylor and Harold, who were descending K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, when an accident stranded them on an ice ledge at 27,000 feet. Harold, who may have contributed to the accident by stepping on Taylor's shoulder at an inopportune time, has a broken leg and is unable to continue on his own. Taylor checks the contents of their packs for survival supplies and discovers that he forgot to pack an extra coil of rope for emergencies.
If Taylor can climb back up the cliff and retrieve enough of the broken rope, he and Harold may be able to reach the bottom of the cliff face. If not, there won't be enough rope to lower Harold to safety.
Even if Taylor is able to reach their base camp, Harold will almost certainly die of exposure before he can return with help.
Taylor asks Harold to talk to him while he attempts to reach the rope. The conversations that follow define their characters. Taylor (Eric Nemoto) is a cynical district attorney who admits to being burned out by his daily contact with the criminal dregs. He's single and chooses casual sexual relations with like-minded women rather than taking emotional risks.
Harold (Wil Kahele) is a married physicist who spent years drifting through life in search of meaning and purpose. He found them in a good marriage, fatherhood and a career breakthrough or two connected in some way to the development of the neutron bomb.
It's a great role for Kahele, who rarely appears in such heavy fare. He displays considerable talent in spite of being almost immobile, bundled up in climbing gear. His performance becomes increasingly important as the story develops and Harold's spirituality comes to the fore. A final monologue about blind Japanese mountain foxes going to the ocean to die ties some of the dangling threads together despite the implausible images.
Nemoto is no stranger to strong roles and intense performances. He adds another convincing portrayal of a belligerent and foul-mouthed character to his impressive acting résumé but is also successful in gradually revealing important character shadings. Nemoto dominates the first half, and the details he contributes to the second half are essential to its dramatic success.
Director Dennis Proulx places the audience inside the mountain a neat perspective that allows viewers to imagine the sheer cliff face above and below the trapped men, and Taylor's risky climb to retrieve the rope.
Credit Proulx's astute direction, playwright Patrick Meyers' unpredictable script and the sharply focused performances of Nemoto and Kahele with making this potentially problematic story a thought-provoking and spiritually challenging experience.
"K2": Presented by the Actors Group at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 24 at Windward Community College's Little Theatre. Tickets $10. Call 591-7999.
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