MANOA VALLEY THEATRE
Richard McPherson, with Alison Gal, in scenes from "Scotland Road" hopes to explore acting opportunities on the Mainland.
Star keeps a secret
John Astor arrives at a sanitarium, determined to solve the mystery posed by the discovery of a young woman found floating on an iceberg in the North Atlantic, dressed in late Edwardian attire. She has only spoken one word -- "Titanic" -- but the legendary ill-fated luxury liner sank some 80 years before she was found.
Is she insane? Or is this woman some kind of bizarre publicity seeker?
Manoa Valley Theatre
Where: Manoa Valley Theatre, 2833 E. Manoa Road.
presents 'Scotland Road'
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 1
Tickets: $25 general, $20 senior citizens and military, $15 age 25 and under
Call: 988-6131
Actor Richard MacPherson hopes that the public and the media will keep playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's secrets safe for the duration of the run of "Scotland Road," opening tonight at the Manoa Valley Theatre.
"As the play unravels, you start to find out more about her, and by finding out more about her, you find out more about me," he said, cryptically.
"(Astor) ponders what he would have done on the Titanic -- would he have behaved like a gentleman? That, to him, was the ultimate. (The upper class) had this idea about how you were supposed to be, but what comes out in the story is who else was there and how (the lower class people) were treated. ... Everybody was the same at the end."
But what of Astor? Anyone familiar with the story of the Titanic knows that John Jacob Astor was one of the richest and most prominent men to be lost with the ship. So is MacPherson's character a hero, villain, or something else? MacPherson hopes to keep the lid on that mystery, as well.
Whether it's playing heroes, villains or "something else," MacPherson has a short but impressive résumé that includes excellent performances across the spectrum.
MacPherson's malevolent Iago stole the show when Kumu Kahua staged a localized version of Shakespeare's "Othello" in 1996, but he was just as convincing as a warm and wise Atticus in MVT's 1998 production of "To Kill a Mockingbird."
He also showed a flair for comedy in his portrayal of President John Kennedy in Diamond Head Theatre's hilarious (though underappreciated) social satire, "Jackie: An American Life," staged in 2000.
A year later, he portrayed Oscar Wilde in The Actors' Group staging of "Gross Indecency." MacPherson's scene, where Wilde finally comprehends the fact that he has destroyed himself, stood as one of the year's great moments in local theater.
MANOA VALLEY THEATRE
MACPHERSON lives for challenging roles like these.
"That's what makes an actor (and) that's the great thing about the stage. They just don't look at you and decide who you are. It's up to you to portray it. Community theater is really a great thing, which I like to support and be a part of. It's where you really grow as an actor."
"Scotland Road" (the title refers to a nickname for a servants' passageway on the doomed ship) brings MacPherson back to community theater almost a year after his well-played performance in TAG's staging of "The Weir" last spring. In the interim, he has presented a summer Shakespeare program for children at Paliku Theatre and starred with his wife, Maria, in "The Love Letters of Dracula and Mina" at Dave & Buster's Showroom on Halloween.
MacPherson describes that production as "a stepping stone" that he hopes will help him take the show to a larger audience.
With luck, he may be able to take "Dracula and Mina" to mainland venues. In any event, he's ready to see what other U.S. cities have to offer, in terms of acting opportunities.
"My plans are to venture out to the mainland and look for an agent and see about the possibility of living here, but spending some time on the mainland. Often times, they cast the shows from there, and if you're going to get any chance, you have to be at the point of origin. That's the main thing I'm focusing on after this play."
But, for the moment, MacPherson has no complaints.
"It's been a wonderful experience working with (director) Vanita (Rae Smith) ... and the gorgeous set. You just feel so fortunate when you see it coming up around you. It's like being in a dream."
Click for online
calendars and events.
