'Ah, Wilderness!' is funny look at family life

OREM — The Utah Valley State College theatrical arts department continues its 2007-08 season of "The American Experience" with the family comedy, "Ah, Wilderness!" by Eugene O'Neill, the Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize-winning playwright.

O'Neill's only comedy is a surprisingly warm portrayal of middle class life in "large small town America." Set on July 4, 1906, the play shows us a 17-year-old young man's firsts: first kiss, first breakup, first drink, first reunion and first realization that his parents seem to have gotten it right.

The play serves as a reminder of why those holiday family gatherings are so important.

With "Ah, Wilderness!" O'Neill reimagined his troubled youth as he wished it would have been. Subtitling the play "A Comedy of Recollections," he characterized the play as "the other side of the coin," meaning that it represented his fantasy of what his own youth might have been, rather than what he believed it to have been. The play celebrates the role of the family in America. The interpretation of this wistful family-friendly piece is given by director John Graham, new UVSC assistant theater professor.

""Ah, Wilderness!' shows the family as the central and most important aspect of our lives," said Graham. "It says that the lessons we learn in the family are the ones we take with us out into the world."

The cast of "Ah, Wilderness!" is diverse. "Of the 15 actors, the ages range from 11 to mid-50s, and so everyone is working hard to balance schoolwork, rehearsals and outside jobs," Graham said.

Cast members include Wesley Tolmann of New Haven, Mich., as Richard Miller; Sarah Preston of Kanab as Mildred; Jeremy Minagro of Orem as Nat Miller; Laura Garner of Salt Lake City as Essie; Jordan Cummings of American Fork as Arthur Miller; Trevor Elzey of Cedar Hills as Tommy Miller; Adam Slee of Spanish Fork as Uncle Sid; Anna Marie Johnson of Provo as Lily; Elizabeth Vogeley of Boulder, Colo., as Nora; Sam Davis of San Bernardino, Calif., as Mr. McComber; Deidre Hiatt of Payson as Muriel; Jacob Nilsson of Bluffdale as Wint; Aubrey Williams of West Valley City as Bell; Jeff Van Winkle of Daytona Beach, Fla., as the bartender; and Jeremy Showgren of Mapleton as the salesman.

If you go

What: "Ah, Wilderness"

Where: Ragan Theater, Sorenson Center, UVSC campus, Orem

When: 7:30 p.m., Oct. 25-Nov. 3

Cost: $6-$10

Phone: 863-8797