Contemporary Theatre’s production of The Oldest Living Graduate is a rare gem with three facets of equal brilliance: it combines great acting with a solid script and tells a touching story of transformation.
At the heart of the story is Colonel J.C. Kinkaid, played superbly by veteran actor John S. Davies. Mr. Davies hits a home run in believability playing the 75-year-old wheelchair bound character, given that he’s only in his fifties. To call the Colonel a curmudgeon would be a disservice not only to the character but to the story as well. Look carefully and you’ll find the soul of a warrior beneath all those layers of caked on cantankerousness. He has outlived his comrades-in-arms and is left behind to fend for himself on the battlefield of dementia. That’s why he’s the oldest living graduate of the Mirabeau B. Lamar Military Academy. An honor he’s not too eager to accept, but his entrepreneurial driven son is all too willing to exploit.
Floyd Kincaid (Russell DeGrazier), the Colonel’s son, concocts a land scheme with his partner Clarence Sickenger (Reg Platt) that requires the Colonel’s acquiescence. Yet for reasons known only to the Colonel, he refuses to oblige. The audience might be left to conclude that its pure orneriness that drives the Colonel to do what he does, but through conversations with a hired hand, the truth becomes known. Mr. DeGrazier plays his character well against Mr. Davies, as he swallows his scruples with shots of bourbon. His wife, Maureen, played by the impressive Sue Loncar, is the savvy spouse, undeterred by the emotional baggage of the family’s past. She gives her character the necessary detachment to rise above the fray.
On all levels this play works well. The Oldest Living Graduate is a story with equal parts hilarity and poignancy.
