Young Cougar Girls Have Growing Pains

Anna Cebula

By JEFF DEAN Times Leader Correspondent
 Sunday, January 28, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 7A 





LA PLUME - The world-famous short story writer O. Henry earned his
reputation writing about people who spent their days in corner pubs, dark
alleys and jails. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His characters are average Joes - drunkards, hoboes, the members of
struggling families - and that meant average Joes loved reading his stories.
They'll also love seeing The Northeast Theatre's current production of ``The
O. Henry Conspiracy,'' as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Featuring the show's creator, Richard Grunn, as nine quintessentially O.
Henry-like characters, Friday night's performance had the audience
intermittently belly-laughing and sighing; the short stories upon which the
storyline is based elicit the same reactions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The premise of the play is that a young cub reporter named Kyle Carter
(played by Daniel McClelland) arrives in New York City seeking his fame and
fortune, only to be turned away by every paper in town. Eventually he finds
himself trying to win a job by proving an eccentric magazine editor's pet
theory, namely that O. Henry never existed. The name O. Henry, claims the
editor, is actually a pseudonym for a group of writers with a common style. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kyle's investigations take him into the lives of nine hilarious characters
- all of whom are played by Grunn, and all of whom have a distinctly O. Henry
quality to them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Using old vaudevillian and Charlie Chaplin techniques, the charismatic
Grunn dazzled the audience by portraying characters from a crusty Grammercy
Park bartender to a deaf mailman to a crazy but timid repairman. At one point,
two of Grunn's characters even get into an argument offstage, in two different
accents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The physical comedy of the play - a goofy keystone cop chasing a criminal,
a trick reclining chair that dumps people on the floor - gives it a unique,
vintage charm. Grunn and McClelland work especially well together in silence,
too, which makes the play feel like a silent movie at times. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The play does border on false eulogy at the end - considering the real O.
Henry's imprisonment for embezzlement and his long, slow decline into
alcoholism - but it doesn't ruin the play by any means. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you're hesitating to go because you have no familiarity with O. Henry's
writings, don't. That's actually the best way to see this play because O.
Henry's stories tend to lose their magic when you already know the endings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If you're hesitating because it's a 45 minute drive to La Plume, don't do
that either. The play is funny and charming and even a little bit sad, and the
combined effect will leave you feeling happy you made the trip. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`o. Henry Conspiracy' True To Soul Of Author