REVIEWS
Iron Age Theatre, based at the Centre Theater of the Montgomery County Cultural Center in Norristown, continues its tradition of challenging physical productions with Terra Nova, Ted Tally's seldom-produced drama about the race to the South Pole in 1911.
Co-directors and designers Randall Wise and John Doyle, both Villanova University graduates, follow their lush environmental set for last fall's Of Mice and Men with an icy landscape that vividly suggests the harsh whiteness of the last unexplored continent. They always use more than half of the Centre's fourth-floor space for their sets, creating a large playing space while keeping their productions intimate, and create historic costume and prop details with loving precision. This works very well with Terra Nova, in which we experience explorer Robert Falcon Scott's race against Norwegian Roald Amundsen to "plant the Union Jack on the bottom of the earth."
Bob Weick brilliantly captures Scott's obsession and inner turmoil. The play unfolds in his mind as he wrestles with his tormented conscience, embodied by Ray Saraceni as Amundsen, and recalls his complicated relationship with wife Kathleen, played by Susan Paige Lane.
Scott also struggles with his responsibility for his men, well-played by John Fidler as boisterous Birdy Bowers, Markus L. Zanders as driven war hero Oates, Peter Sanchez as avuncular doctor Wilson, and Jered McLenigan as Evans, whose reluctance to reveal a festering wound contributes to the mission's disaster. They capture the fortitude and fears of men dying for a dream.
We know from the beginning that Scott's party achieved the pole a month after Amundson's. The play's power lies in Tally's sensitive exploration of character and conscience during life and death struggles. Through Scott's tragic story, Terra Nova celebrates the human need for accomplishment and purpose. "Whose life did you enrich?" Kathleen demands of Scott; the answer, in this fascinating production, is ours.
Mark Cofta
Main Line Ticket

The actors demonstrated vibrantly the emotional stress and difficulty that came with such a bold and daring expedition. One performer in particular stood out, illustrating ever so dramatically the fear and exhaustion these men underwent. Actor Jered McLenigan was positively spellbinding and had the audience mesmerized by his keen sense of emotional acuity. In the scene involving his character Evans' psychological breakdown, which began after he contracted gangrene from a deep abrasion to his hand, McLenigan truly illustrated what it means to be a theatrical performer. His intensity had me utterly silent and awestruck. I could actually feel his character completely falling apart before my eyes, increasing the passion of the play. In addition to McLenigan's gripping performance, fellow cast members equally created a similar passionate contribution to the compelling force of Terra Nova. Bob Weick's portrayal of Captain Robert Falcon Scott was also zealous and enhanced the strong dimension of the ambitious men.
Amanda Nelson
The Wingspan