'Oleanna' simmers and boils

Mamet play fires on all cylinders

RALEIGH -- The third time is definitely the charm for Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy. After flawed attempts at plays with serious themes ("The Glass Menagerie" and "Last Night of Ballyhoo"), the theater series has a winner in its production of David Mamet's "Oleanna."

College student Carol comes to see professor John in his office because she is failing his class on social issues. She feels stupid because she doesn't understand the material, which she blames on John's high-handed teaching methods. John, distracted by personal phone calls, pedantically responds to Carol's concerns. In Mamet's overlapping and half-spoken dialogue, their conversation is mostly miscommunication, the phrase "I don't understand" a constant refrain.

But all seems smoothed over by the end of the first act as John promises Carol a good grade if she'll come to his office for additional tutoring for the rest of the semester. He even soothes her tearful frustration by offering her a shoulder to cry on.

The second act tells a different tale. Carol has been encouraged by a campus women's rights group to accuse John of sexual harassment, endangering his tenure confirmation. A harrowing power play ensues, with surprising reversals, sudden shifts and a shocking climax. "Oleanna," a legendary utopia, is no longer possible.

No viewer can remain neutral as Mamet provokes fierce support for one character or the other. Does John subconsciously or subtly impose harassment? Is Carol taking advantage of the situation? Some may feel that Mamet leans more toward one character, but each has enough flaws and blind spots to make siding difficult.

The cast and director supply additional layers. Tony nominee Alan Campbell makes John an easygoing but clueless figure, the privileges of being male seemingly lost on him. Campbell softens the edges of the character as written but makes John's fall all the more pitiable for his lack of real understanding. Meredith Jones makes an impressive transition from nervous meekness to controlled power-wielding, making us aware that Carol's newly acquired outrage is still being tried on for size.

The two work beautifully together, especially in Kristen Coury's tightly paced direction. The tricky cadences of Mamet's phrases flow confidently within knowingly molded arcs. There is surprising natural humor early on, in contrast to the violent intensity of the later scenes.

Curtis Lee Jones' dark wood and leather office setting, enhanced by his moody lighting design, makes an appropriately confining space for the plot to simmer in.

The best indicator of the show's success was the heated discussion after the play ended on opening night, with audience members lingering in the theater to argue their cases for who was the victim. What more could a playwright or theater series ask for?