The power of love, and its not so distant relative, hate, are explored in one of Sam Shepard’s most enduring plays. “Fool for Love” opens next week on the main stage at Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts.
Sam Shepard's plays tend to roam the vast spaces of the wild west and the small spaces of the human psyche; His characters, larger than life, his themes reminiscent of Greek theater, though set in the present day.
"He considers the west to be older in mythic terms than ancient Greece and Rome.," says Director Greg Justice, who also hails from out west. Associate Professor in the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech, he’s originally from Montana, and he sees where Shepherd’s inspiration comes from.
"Because when you drive out there you drive for hours and hours and hours and you’ll see a sun bleached pioneer’s home and it almost looks older than the Parthenon. It looks like it’s just been there forever like dinosaur bones because they’re bleached white and it seems to just have an ancient quality to it that is really interesting, so that’s a recurring theme in his plays,"
So is family, despair and longing, and the kind of violence sparked when love and hate are two sides of the same coin.
"The best thing about it is that there’s so much more intention and purpose with a lot of the violence or the harshness of the emotions or the events that take place," says Tyler Frech, a sophomore who plays Martin a visitor who gets pulled into the violence.
"So it’s really meaningful at the same time and we’re not beating each other around for you amusement it all goes to serve a really unique purpose."
Briley Conder, a junior plays May, the only female character of the four.
"It’s an emotionally, I guess, draining piece because it does require so many different emotions so it’s like the happiness mixed with the anger, mixed with the rage basically. "
Tom Fenninger, a junior plays Eddie, whose exact relationship to May is the central question of the play.
“Martin: So, uh, you’re May’s cousin, huh? Eddie: See, now right there. Asking me that right there. Do I look like her cousin? Martin: She said that you were? Eddie: Well she’s lyin.. Martin: Well what are you then? Eddie: Oh now you’re really getting tense…Martin: Hey maybe I should just go! Eddie: No No! Martin don't go! Hey."
The source of all this rage comes from an enigmatic character who may or may not actually be present in the room. A character known only as, ‘the old man.’ Played by Emmy award winning actor, Stuart Margolin, who is is sharing his experience and passion for acting
"I played an old man when I was young so it’s kind of fun. I always did it because I looked older than most of the students when I was their age."
He’s been on many TV dramas and comedies, has written and directed.
"But its my first time playing Sam Shepard so I’m very impressed by his skills as a dramatist," he said.
Audiences should know this play has mature themes. There’s language, sexual content. You have to know what you’re getting into when you go to a Sam Shepard play and Fool For Love is no exception.
"My metaphor for it is a scorpion’s den. You've got to be careful what you walk into when you walk into a scorpion’s den because there can be danger in there and these people sting each other a lot, they and they battle each other a lot and they love each other a lot, ‘Fool for Love,'" said Justice.
