Berkshire Village Idiot

There’s no denying that Michael Isaac Connor has a lot of energy. Unfortunately, it’s not always put to the best use in his one-man show Berkshire Village Idiot. As directed by Barry Edelstein, the writer/performer often overplays both his emotions and characterizations. The show opens with Connor bursting onto the stage, running around and grinning like — well, like an idiot.

Once he slows down his pace and takes time in telling his story, the show improves considerably. The writing is folksy, laced with wit and humor. Told from the dual vantage points of Connor in the present day and as a young teenager, the semi-autobiographical tale hinges on his relationship with his father.

Little Mikey is a juvenile delinquent, upset at his dad for returning to the military and going off to Thailand for two years. Upon the elder Connor’s return, Mikey acts out in all sorts of ways, including physical violence against his father. Dad throws Mikey out of the house, forcing him to live in his grandmother’s trailer; the kid counters by moving in with his father’s nemesis, Regie. Once friends, the two older men are now at odds over whether or not a beaver dam should be removed from their local pond. While that may not seem like much of a conflict, it’s high-stakes politics in the small Massachusetts town of Berkshire Village, leading to town meetings, a savage beating, and a visit from the Environmental Protection Agency before a resolution is achieved.

This solo performance piece requires Connor to take on the roles of at least 30 different characters. Most are overblown caricatures — often amusing but never resembling actual people. There’s Mikey’s alcoholic Uncle Jumbo, his “Cathoholic” grandmother, his long-suffering mother, the thuggish Jackie, and even the family dog. Only Connor’s portrayal of his father is grounded in reality. As a result, the show seems more like a long stand-up comedy routine rather than a meaningful one-person play.

Derek McLane’s set resembles an automotive body shop, with various props and set pieces effectively deployed to suggest different environments. For example, a rain barrel is used to depict a font of holy water while a crowbar stands in for a spatula that Mikey’s mother uses to cook. Russell H. Champa’s lighting design is perhaps a little too clever for its own good, as it requires Connor to move light fixtures and flip switches at several points during the show. This can be effective, as when a trouble light is relocated to help provide the atmosphere of a church confessional, but it grows to absurd proportions when Connor must use a broom to set a number of overhead lights swinging. This is meant to indicate chaotic vandalism, yet Connor’s careful, measured pushing of the fixtures has the opposite effect.

Berkshire Village Idiot would probably benefit from a simplified staging. Connor has an engaging presence, and several of the father-son exchanges are quite moving. The fact that these two characters clearly love each other makes it all the more difficult for us to watch them cause easy other pain in so many ways. Still, in its present incarnation, the piece doesn’t quite have the emotional impact intended by Connor.