THEATER:Relevance of ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ is preserved

You can number on one hand the movies that have won Oscars for best picture, best actor and actress, and best director. One of the select few was “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

That 1975 flick brought Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher and Milos Forman to the podium, as well as screenwriters Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman. Another Oscar went to producer Michael Douglas — who took a shine to the play when he saw his dad, Kirk, play the leading role on Broadway.

That stage version has become popular with local theater groups over the years, and the latest production company to take on the challenge of depicting life in an insane asylum is the Huntington Beach Playhouse, which will mount “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” next weekend.

“This is a brilliant play based on the novel by Ken Kesey, about the boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel R.P. McMurphy, who swaggers into a mental institution and takes over,” says director Carl DaSilva, who describes the central character as “a lusty, life-affirming fighter.”

“The play, although written in 1963, still preserves its relevance due to its enormous heart and the fact that it combines very powerful dramatic moments with lighthearted and at times even comical ones,” the director added.

McMurphy, a state prisoner, has faked his way into the hospital figuring that it’s easier duty than the work farm. He doesn’t reckon with the “Big Nurse” Ratched, and his defiance of this no-nonsense authority figure soon develops into an all-out war of attrition, which enlists the other patients to his cause.

“This production returns its focus to the ideas and issues of the novel,” DaSilva noted, “bringing Chief Bromden’s unique narration and vision to the foreground.” Bromden is the hulking “mute” Native American whose voice is heard over the action.

“The tragic but uplifting story of Kesey’s natural man explodes on the stage with a complete sound design, dynamic lighting, a unique set and moving visual support,” the director promises. “Funny, shocking and profoundly moving, this play is one of the classics of American drama.”

In the Huntington Beach production, Michael J. Keeney will play McMurphy with Holly Jeanne cast as his adversary, Nurse Ratched. Keeney’s fellow patients will be enacted by Michael Corcoran, Paul McDade, Ray Galindo, Nick Pappas and Richard Dambert.

Robert McCullar as Chief Bromden and Matthew Dougherty as Billy Bibbitt take the major supporting roles. Completing the large cast will be Alicia Wells, Carolyn Kelly, Paul Arnold, Kirk D. Brown, Ismael Reyes and Lito Cabra.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” will be staged for three weekends in the Library Theater, 7111 Talbert Ave., Huntington Beach. Advance reservations are being taken at (714) 375-0696.