Harvey

by Mary Chase

dir. Dave Peterson

March 2019, Dore Theatre, California State University, Bakersfield

Mary Chase’s classic play about a man, Elwood, who sees a giant white rabbit is about as fluffy as the titular bunny. It is a fun piece, that still moves swiftly in performance. The play demonstrates actors’ abilities to create farcical characters, but with a human grounding. Although Elwood and Harvey can take center stage, the real journey is of Elwood’s sister Veta. She must come to accept her brother and all of his eccentricities, instead of rushing to make him like everyone else. At its heart, Harvey is a play about accepting what might seem different with open arms, instead of rushing to make sure everything fits a restrictive box.