Harry loves Gertrude, but he’s a dreamer.
Gertrude loves Harry, but she’s an hard-nosed businesswoman.
Can these two people, sitting on opposite ends of the spectrum, somehow find each other in the middle?
See for yourself in Icon Theatre’s production of “The Seahorse,” a play that explores the redemptive power of love and the tempering element of fear.
Directed by Rebecca Lloyd – known during the school year as Kentwood High School’s drama teacher – the play opens July 29 and runs on selected dates through Aug. 7, at KW’s performing arts center.
Lloyd, a founder of the popular local summerstock group, said “The Seahorse” was a production that needed to happen.
“I love the play,” she said of the work, which first opened in 1974. “The language is a little coarse at times, but it’s beautiful. It’s beautifully written.”
“The Seahorse” has just two characters in it: Harry Bales, a starry-eyed fisherman (played by Tony Driscoll), and Gertrude Blum, a tough-as-nails bar owner (played by Jennifer O’Brien), whom Bales meets one night on visit to her bar, called The Seahorse.
That is the place where it all happens: the bar is the meeting place where Harry falls for Gertrude; and for Gertrude, it’s the place where she has honed the tough exterior that shields her vulnerable, hurt side.
The two characters live their lives outside the bar, but return to it to explore their ongoing relationship.
The question is, will Harry, who falls deeply in love with Gertrude, ever get her to feel the same way about him?
“He really loves her,” Lloyd said. “But she doesn’t feel like she’s loveable.”
Not unlike waves crashing on a shoreline, Harry tries again and again to wear down Gertrude’s armor. He sees them in love; she sees her fear.
“He’s the dreamer – he sees things in everything,” Lloyd said. “He’s trying to get her to open up.”
Nobody’s giving out spoiler alerts here, but Lloyd was willing to describe how well both actors fit their respective roles. Both are professional, she said, with Driscoll working out of Seattle, while O’Brien spent some time acting in New York before returning back to the Puget Sound area.
And there’s a personal meaning for Lloyd, beyond the present-day production she’s leading.
She herself played Gertrude, as a younger woman.
Now, she gets to help another actor explore the vulnerable, but hard-nosed businesswoman.
“The Seahorse” runs 7 p.m. July 29-31, and Aug. 5-7 at the Kentwood Performing Arts Center, 25800 164th Ave. S.E., Kent. Tickets are $10 at the door. They also can be ordered online at www.browntickets.com. This play is recommended for mature audiences.
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