Theater Review—

‘Butcher’s Cabin’ The Latest Example Of Why One

Should Keep Track Of Stray Kats Theatre Company

By Julie Stern

The Stray Kats Theatre Company, which began last year with a series of staged play readings in Edmond Town Hall’s Alexandria Room, provided a rare treat to the full house last Saturday night: Kent R. Brown of Fairfield — who has over the years been playwright in residence and professor of theater at various colleges and universities, including Fairfield U. and the University of Arkansas, garnering numerous prizes for his work — unveiled his latest play, performed by a top-notch cast. When it was over, and everyone had drunk coffee and nibbled on pastries from Andrea’s Pastry Shop, Mr Brown hosted a session in which the audience could provide feedback as to what they liked, and what they wanted clarified. He listened graciously, explained his reasoning, and in some cases thanked the speaker and promised to make revisions, so that in the end, the crowd had not only seen a riveting performance of a serious play, but had the feeling of actual participation in the process.

The cast, who had rehearsed for only 15 hours, read their lines from hand-held scripts. Using minimal props, director Kate Katcher urged the audience to use their imagination in picturing a highly detailed and continuously evolving set consisting of an abandoned cabin in the woods, which over the course of the play would become cleaned up.

Set in modern day  backwoods Tennessee, Butcher’s Cabin is a slightly gothic southern drama along the lines of Lanford Wilson,  John Guare and Sam Shepard, with echoes of Tennessee Williams, and perhaps a touch of Irish dramatist, Martin McDonagh.  This is not to say that Brown’s work is derivative; rather it belongs in very good company.

The premise is that Butcher’s cabin has stood empty for half a century, ever since a young farmer, Amos Butcher,  was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his father and his pregnant wife. Now fifty years later, an elderly semi-invalid Butcher has been released to spend what remains of his life in this shack.

Relying on Mason — a good-old-boy contractor and one time high school athlete — to do repairs and renovate the cabin, and Valerie — a recovering alcoholic and ex prostitute — to serve as live-in housekeeper and home health aide, the irascible Amos drifts in and out of reality. With a faltering memory, Amos is often confused, lost in the past, reliving the events of one horrible day. He quotes letters and talks of a fiancée, Charlene, who is arriving any day now…

Other characters appear: Mason’s sometime girlfriend, a cheerful lesbian stripper moves in and befriends him, and then Charlene arrives. She is real.  A prison visitor from a religious order, she had met Amos in the visiting room and had indeed promised to marry him.

In its conception, the play is set over a period of about three weeks, in which the cabin becomes repaired, painted, furnished and decorated. In fact, the cabin itself is a metaphor for the characters, who in the course of their interactions, show concern for  one another. In the intimacy of the cabin, they share their own dark stories and private pain, which  makes them seem less grotesque,  and more appealing.

The company of famous Broadway and Hollywood actor Keir Dullea, ably backed by Kim Maresca, Emilie Roberts, Katie Sparer and Michael Wright,  did a wonderful job.

Stay Kats is definitely a terrific addition to the Newtown cultural scene. The only downside is that each production is a one night stand, so you need to be alert to their schedule and get tickets in advance.