By Gianni Truzzi
Seattle PostGlobe Theatre Critic
“The Elephant Man,” Bernard Pomerance’s 1979 Tony-winning play, has always been a contest between an outsized, malformed head and the buried, but even larger heart.
In the talent-laden production currently running at Strawberry Theatre Workshop, the head slightly edges out.
The title character was a real-life figure of Victorian England, Joseph Merrick (erroneously remembered as John), who was severely afflicted with a genetic disorder that caused unrestrained bone and tissue growth. The monstrously deformed Merrick went from sideshow curiosity to medical one after physician Frederick Treves installed him at London Hospital for study.
The play relies on the theatrical conceit of a beautiful young man contorting his initially bare body and voice to convey Merrick’s extreme disfigurement. Philip Anglim originated the physically punishing role as a young heartthrob, briefly replaced by David Bowie. Billy Crudup was cast in a 2002 revival. (And perhaps we can agree to ignore David Lynch’s atrocious, rubber-mask film version.)
That’s a small challenge for MJ Sieber, an actor of bursting ability and robust build. Yet Sieber , who remains clothed, makes a stunning transition as he angles his spine, hobbles his leg, clubs his hand and sags his head to match the projected photos of Merrick.
Sieber’s rendering is of a gentle monster, a misunderstood victim of abuse by the fear his appearance produces. His voice, which he occasionally hampers with the suggestion of physical stresses to breathing, soothes as contrast.
The true protagonist, however, is Dr. Treves, who David Pichette plays with a sprightly upper-class stuffiness. He is the lens through which we view our own mixture of generosity and revulsion.
While Treves gives Merrick a safe harbor, and the first home he has ever known, it still as another kind of exhibition, even exploitation as donations for his support flood the hospital’s coffers. Treves struggles with those moral quandaries as he learns more of the humanity obscured by Merrick’s condition.
It’s when Treves employs the actress Mrs. Kendal (Alexandra Tavares) to provide Merrick with some hospitable female company that Merrick’s intellect fully reveals itself, offering original insight into Shakespeare and his own circumstances. Tavares offers a lusty-throated, practical woman who respects the necessity of artifice, and proves a patron that makes Merrick a celebrity among the upper crust.
This becomes the core of Pomerance’s theme, as the frighteningly ugly man becomes the darling of the “beautiful people” of Victorian society, including the Princess of Wales. As Treves is swindled by a charming rogue and Merrick’s former partner tries to chisel a deal with sweet talk, it’s made clear how a pretty visage can mask a twisted soul.
The play is a wealth of ideas that collide and bounce, a construction as complex as the cathedral model that Merrick builds over years with his one good hand. The risk is always that those ideas will overwhelm the play’s emotional heft. That happens here, but only marginally.
Strawberry Theatre Workshop’s “The Elephant Man” runs through Aug. 9 at Erickson Theatre Off Broadway, 1524 Harvard Avenue. Tickets: $25, Seniors/Students $10; (800) 838-3006 or www.brownpapertickets.com
