Skip to content

Review: Tender, funny play, ‘Anatomy of Gray’, is fine theatre

Ignorance, love, friendship and fear join hands in this Mercury Players production

Anatomy of Gray, presented by the Mercury Players again this weekend at the Mercury Theatre in Duncan, will have you chuckling, and wiping away a tear or two.

This play, by Jim Leonard Jr., offers unexpected insights into life in a small cornbelt town at the end of the 19th century by following a small group of people.

Ignorance, love, friendship, and fear all play roles alongside a talented group of actors, including Quinn Evans, a newcomer who is a revelation as June Muldoon. She’s the young lady whose reminiscences form the backbone of this tender tale.

As the story starts, we learn that a man is dead and his wife and daughter, Rebekah and June Muldoon (Quinn Evans and Sylvia Swift) have to soldier on without him.

Not long after his funeral, a stranger — Galen Gray — literally blows into town, finding upon landing in the town of Gray, Indiana, that the community has no healer. He decides to stay and offer his services.

We find out quite a bit about everyone: the pastor (Andrew Cherry) with his kidney stone, Homer (Dalin Koons) with his soda pop habit, and Maggie (Maggie Sullivan) who likes any steak as long as it’s rare, and more. There are lots of opportunities for humour and none of them are missed.

But something sinister is stalking the people of Gray, too, and we become concerned as we watch the situation develop. The story, and the careful attention to characterization, draw the audience right in, as everyone anxiously follows what’s happening to June and her friends.

Shows continue Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 18. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. They’re available at Ten Old Books and First Chiropractic in Duncan or at the door.