Union College theater performs “Ruthless”

Union College is putting on a play on April 5 and 7, written and directed by Ramsey Mesnard. The play is based around the story of Ruth as depicted in the Bible, taking place in 1929, with civilization coming out of the dust bowl. The play holds a myriad of characters, including characters included to make the story more suitable to theater.

The main character, Ruth, played by Heidi Jacobo, interacts throughout the story with the narrator of the story, her mother-in-law Nana, played by Heather May. Boaz or Bo Azer in the play, played by Charles Mentz. The play also has a main villain, Bo Azer’s named Mr. Deemer, played by Ramsey Mesnard, and his henchman Mulligan, played by James Smartt.

The play takes place in Nebraska after the Great Depression, when Ruth and Nana return from California after the cessation of the dust-bowl to make a living. The driving forces in the play are the opinion toward Californians, who supposedly mistreated Bo Azer and Mr. Deemer during the Depression, and Ruth’s reasons for helping Nana following the years of struggling together.

Ruth is characterized as a strong and very independent woman, who is desperate to be there for Nana, because in her eyes it is the only family she has left, one who cares about her. Bo Azer, on the other hand, is characterized differently. He is perceived as overconfident or arrogant as a land-owner but quickly changes expectations as he shares kindness with Ruth. Mr. Deemed is a complex character, as someone who is absorbed in life as it was in the dust bowl. He lived a harsh life and was downtrodden by others, and now views the world as a cruel place, since this cruelty is natural, he believes it deserves propagation. He is under the understanding that the world is ruthless and maintains this concept even throughout his success. His henchman, Mulligan, is best characterized as someone of below average intelligence, a strongman and not much else. He falters on some social cues and fails to pick up on some conversations, but maintains a sense of empathy and holds some surprises of his own.

The Ruthless crew is excited to be putting on the show and have been working diligently since first semester to get the play rehearsed and prepared, and we hope you can come out to see it.

By James Smartt