Theatre Americana in Altadena has spent the last three quarters of a century or thereabouts, producing untried plays. It's quite an adventure. Even after narrowing down the scripts from 200 to the four they actually produce each year, the results are often a rather mixed bag. Then, every once in a while, one discovers a true gem."Standard Deviation" by Alan David Perkins is such a jewel. The idea is a kick, the actors range from passable to quite good, and the evening proves quite entertaining. More importantly, director Lisa Covell has managed to give the piece a pacing and a style that show off the best of what Theatre Americana can do.
It's an entertaining concept. A scientist has come up with an additive that he believes can be used to significantly increase people's intelligence. In a strictly illegal experiment, he dumps the stuff into the water supply of the tiny town of Stillman's Corner, Alabama, and waits to see what effect it will have. However, in doing so he trespasses, and ends up in the town jail, seeing the effects of his experiments only as people come in and out of the jail house door.
As it turns out, there are as many down sides to becoming more intelligent as there are advantages. Andy Forrest is Eli, the unfortunate scientist. Of the entire cast, he is the most "by the book" portrayal. Though it works well enough for the comedy to continue, one never believes he is a Jewish, judgmental New Yorker. If one could, the laughter would flow even more freely.
It's the cast around Forrest that keeps this from really bothering anyone. Paul Anderson makes an attractively practical sheriff, settled well into a job he truly enjoys. Todd Kraus has a field day as the somewhat dopey deputy.
Lisa Natale seems sometimes a bit exaggerated as the sheriff's hot-to-trot wife, but has several fun moments. Virginia Speckman becomes the soul of innocence as the deputy's girl, and Billy Ferguson brings a practical likeability to the criminal who is also the sheriff's best friend. Elizabeth Finn shows truly well-honed comic timing as the fellow scientist who comes to aid Eli in his work.
Yet, the true star is the script, at least as Covell has presented it. Often playing against stereotype, it offers real comedy as well as certain insight on the human condition. The characters have a sense of realness to them, which is often quite engaging. You like these people. You care about how they react to being changed.
"Standard Deviation" might not be ready for Broadway yet, but it offers charm, freshness and even a little wisdom along the way.
Go see this diamond in the rough.