Mountain Community Theater (MCT) Director Miguel Reyna has spent 17 years helping to engage the community in the joys of drama, comedy and music.
Now, Reyna is bringing a little crazy to the stage as he welcomes “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” to Ben Lomond, running from March 18 through April 10. Located in historic Park Hall in downtown Ben Lomond, MCT has been producing plays and musicals since 1982.
As the production company enters its 40th year, it’s clear that MCT knows how to enthrall an audience.
While many are familiar with the 1975 film starring Jack Nicholson as R.P. McMurphy and Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, the movie was an adaptation of the 1962 novel, written by Ken Kesey. MCT’s performance is less like the film, and more theatrical in its presentation, with Chief Bromden (played by Avondina Wills) providing short windows into his psyche via monologues as the production moves through its paces.
“It’s hard to believe this is really happening, after two very long and eventful years,” said MCT President Peter Gelblum. “Bringing a fully mounted production to our audiences always requires the good work of dozens of people, but it’s been even more of an effort this year, with creating and implementing Covid protocols and brushing away the rust, remembering how to do all the things that we used to do by second nature. That we’ve hung in there, stayed together, and are about to reopen demonstrates better than any words ever could just how much every one of us loves live theater and MCT.”
Reyna is equally effusive as he discusses the resurgence of all things theater.
“I have an absolute passion for theater, and have been in love with it since I was a child,” said Reyna.
Since 2005, Reyna has been in “The Uninvited,” two “Rocky Horror Picture Shows,” Kurt Vonnegut’s “Breakfast of Champions” and “The Twilight Zone.” But the “Cuckoo’s Nest” is a little taste of pre-Covid memories.
“We had chosen to present ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ in 2019, and right when we were about to open—literally two days before—Covid hit, and we shut everything down,” Reyna said. “At that time, we didn’t know what Covid was, or whether it would impact our community, but the MCT Board of Directors determined it wasn’t safe to proceed with the production. All of us were just gutted—we had worked so hard on the production—but ultimately it was the right decision.”
Reyna says that after the Delta and Omicron variants moved through the area, the cast was ready to come back.
“We’ve got about two-thirds of the original cast back on stage,” Reyna said. “This play is like unfinished business, and our cast and crew have a bond that is unshakeable.”
Members of Reyna’s cast are equally thrilled to be back home. Ben Lomond’s Shireen Doyle plays the role of Candy Starr, and she’s mesmerized by the character’s small but impactful part.
“I’m so relieved to be back on stage in Candy’s boots, setting the world right with this amazing cast,” said Doyle. ”Candy is a chance to play someone wildly different than my (real life) mother and wife persona. It is a powerfully enjoyable experience, to dress and act as an over-the-top flirt. Candy makes the most of her fleeting time on stage and her presence adds color and humor to the bleak hospital environment.”
Nat Robinson, who plays Billy Bibbit, views his character’s arc through the lens of his on-stage disability.
“Billy’s speech impediment creates a constant struggle to express himself and establish his own strength,” said Robinson. “His life is like trying to climb up a rain-soaked cliffside, constantly slipping. As an actor, I have to keep Billy’s vulnerability in the forefront. He is painfully thin-skinned and it is heartbreaking at times.”
Jennifer Galvin plays the role of Nurse Mildred Ratched.
“The biggest challenge in playing Nurse Ratched is bringing nuance to her character, rather than playing into a one-dimensional interpretation of her being evil,” Galvin said. “The most interesting and compelling villains are ones wherein we get to see glimpses of their vulnerability and humanity, which may then elicit heightened discomfort as you start to see a bit of yourself in them.”
Reyna says that Kip Allert, who plays the lead role of McMurphy, has “found his own McMurphy along the way,” while Wills gives “a force of nature performance.”
“They are giving it their all, and leaving everything on the stage. It’s really exciting, and we’re all so ready for this to happen,” Reyna said.
When it comes to getting back into live theater, Reyna encourages audience members to reexamine their perception of entertainment.
“The community can come see a production that will move them, and possibly change their life. There’s something tangible about the live theater experience—there’s nothing else like it,” Reyna said.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm from March 18 through April 10. Tickets are $20 general and $17 for students and seniors. Community Night, when all tickets are two for $20, is Saturday, March 19. There will be a champagne reception after the performance on opening night, March 18, and a talkback with the director and cast after the performance on March 27. Tickets can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com. While there are some humorous moments, the production is a dark, psychological thriller, eliciting a PG-13 rating.
