Don’t Fly East, Don’t Fly West; Go to the Kelsey Theatre for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

by Meg Bryan

We all can name at least one book we were made to read in school that has stuck in our heads for the rest of our lives. Those classic stories like The Outsiders, Old Yeller, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, and many more were integral to our learning experience as children. However, the one story that has stuck with me personally the most was when my class read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in high school. Every turn this story took had terrified and rattled me to my core while simultaneously fascinating me to no end. Each of the ever distinct characters left a mark on my mind, and seeing it in its stage adaptation for the first time left me feeling exactly the same. MTM Players succeeded in crafting an eerily believable rendition of this literary masterpiece with a powerhouse of a cast and crew.

Presented onstage for the duration of the show is the day room of the mental institution, created beautifully by Set Designer Michael Gilbert and constructed by him and the rest of the cast and crew (loved seeing that!). The walls are speckled and painted a perfectly nauseating psych ward green. There’s one big window with protective bars locked overtop of it, a restroom door, a bedroom door, and sitting proudly upstage is the observation window utilized by the nurses and aides when patients are free to use the day room. Props Designer Philip Rieschick filled this space just enough to make it feel lived in with a few chairs strewn about the space, a bookshelf filled with assorted activities, and a few decks of cards including one very raunchy deck that McMurphy smuggles in with him upon his arrival.

Sound design was done by Eric Collins and operated by him along with Assistant Operator Maryanne Fiuza. There was not a single moment I found to be unbalanced which is a fantastic achievement, especially for opening night. Costume Designer Anthony Wurtz’s work was stellar, making sure to give each character an identifying look. It can be a tricky thing to manage when working with uniforms, but Wurtz was absolutely successful in doing so. The lighting, designed and operated by Aster Kiesche, was a standout for me, specifically the color choices in shifts from day to night. We saw bright hospital-esque lighting in daytime versus much deeper and dimmer purples and blues when it became nighttime, a stark contrast that translated easily.

Rob Michael Lasky’s direction was wonderful, making complete use of his space and never making one moment feel unintentional. His work illustrated every moment of the story in a precise and perfect manner, especially as someone who cherishes this story as much as I do. Stage Manager Christine Heffron and Assistant Stage Manager Rachel Piscopo had this production running smoothly, ensuring transitions with a quick turnaround that kept the energy flowing. Additionally, Erik Hall acted as Fight Coordinator, bringing us conflicts feeling real enough that I felt myself jump at a couple different moments. It was clear that the cast felt very comfortable with this work, and you will always find a phenomenal fight coordinator at the core of that trust and comfort.

Speaking of the cast, I don’t know if I’ll find enough good things to say about them as a unit. Each and every one of them stood out for all the right reasons, and they were all equally captivating in their own individual ways. Take McMurphy and Chief Bromden for example. Randle P. McMurphy, played by Pat Rounds, is described by readers with words such as boisterous, hostile, and unapologetically rebellious. Rounds portrays this exact energy in a scarily believable manner. With a character like McMurphy, some actors can fall into the trap of over-acting. Rounds, on the other hand, plants himself right on the line between too much and just enough, a precise balance making McMurphy a character to be feared and strangely admired. From his very first entrance, he commanded the space with ease, and his fellow castmates looking to him as an almost god-like figure only helped in that way. His domineering energy flowed like a steady stream, never seeming to wane for a moment even in the most dreadful moments. In contrast, we have the silent observer Chief Bromden, played by Freddy Perez. Bromden is a long time patient, feigning being deaf and mute as a secret act of self defense. He has many moments only addressing the audience, telling stories to his Papa, before McMurphy coaxes the truth out of him regarding his hearing and speaking ability. Perez brings strong stoicism to the role while also successfully portraying Bromden’s insecurities about not being “big” or “strong” enough to be able to take care of himself. Perez is wistful in his monologues to Papa, a softness seems to come over his expression whenever these moments appeared. His moments with the other patients, however, were rougher with that stone-like stoic facade cranked up a few notches. While I do wish his wig didn’t make his facial expressions hard to see in many scenes, his energy was palpable no matter the feeling he dug into. The pair bounced off of each other beautifully; McMurphy’s rough and tumble personality uplifting Bromden, and Bromden’s calmer demeanor bringing McMurphy back down to Earth.

The other patients within the ward were just as individualistic as the two leading men. Tom Chiola as Dale Harding was perfectly poised and pleasant throughout the story. I’d even describe his portrayal of Dale (unintentional rhyme there) as graceful in a way, going through the motions with an ease and comfort that every other patient lacks. His back and forths with Rounds (McMurphy) in particular were captivating, both meeting each other with animated conversation and facial expressions. Chiola spoke with a strength similar to Bromden’s, but with an addition of confidence and a feeling of security, two things that another patient in the ward seems to have even less than zero of. Billy Bibbit, played by Cole Kaelin, was always a character I had felt an extreme amount of sympathy for, and this time through only made that sympathy grow. Kaelin’s range of expressions made Billy absolutely heartbreaking to watch, moving from a shy but happy smile to complete and utter distress in a matter of a few minutes. Those distressing moments even made me choke up a bit at times. Of course, there’s also the stutter aspect, a very difficult thing for actors to fabricate without crossing over into caricature. Kaelin’s stutter as Billy was very realistic and believable, complete with the physical representation of that feeling of being restrained by your vocal cords. These two portrayals of Harding and Bibbit were standouts in my eyes.

Among the rest of the patients, we saw Scanlon (Chris Boerner) with his impressively long beard and pyromaniacal fantasies, Cheswick (James Zimmerman) with an all talk and little action attitude, Martini (Andrew Condouris) who is consistently plagued by wild hallucinations, and Ruckley (P.J. Campacci) who’s become a “Chronic”, as opposed to “Acute” like the rest of the patients we see, after a botched lobotomy and equated by the staff and other patients to a piece of furniture. All four of these men were exceptional, especially when working as a unit. Boerner and Condouris both displayed different types of erratic behavior, and many of their physical choices made me laugh out loud. Boerner’s jerky and unpredictable motions paired with his extreme vocal inflections brought that true insanity to Scanlon. Condouris specifically drew my eye in many scenes where Martini was not the focus such as his dancing when sneaking into the observation window. Zimmerman as Cheswick leaned heavily into the character’s anxious nature. He kept his leg bouncing at every moment he sat, and while that very well may be a habit of the actor, I still found it to be a very intelligent reappearing choice. Campacci’s portrayal of Ruckley was uncomfortable to watch, but it needed to be that way. It’s distressing to see another human be reduced to what Ruckley has become, even if that state is only feigned by the actor. He still managed to bring humor to the role which was incredibly impressive to me.

Nurse Ratched, the undisputed (except by McMurphy) leader of the ward, is played by Deb Lasky. Lasky took an avenue with Ratched that interested me, she came across more  unbothered and condescending as opposed to the strict and militaristic approach I’d expected. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy her performance, because I absolutely did from beginning to end. Lasky’s command of the stage allowed her to go toe-to-toe with McMurphy, who towered over her in height, and still had us wondering who would actually win that fight. Her speech may have been quieter, but her presence and demeanor was plenty loud on its own. Chris Cooper portrayed Dr. Spivey with a vocal smoothness that would be the envy of any voice actor. His laid-back attitude felt so much more filled with charisma, especially as he and McMurphy continued to bond and connect over McMurphy’s crazy ideas like setting up a carnival in the ward, which Spivey supported. Cooper brought a timeless kind of suaveness to the character, yet another pleasantly unexpected thing to see.

The remaining staff was filled out by Nurse Flinn (Angela Robb), a young and innocent nurse who the patients take great joy in terrorizing; Aides Warren (Corey Jordan McKinnon) and Williams (Raymond Strife), younger ward aides who take great joy in harassing and roughing up their patients; and Aide Turkle (Barry Leonard), an older and more easygoing ward aide who allows the patients to go ahead with hosting a party. Each of these performers worked wonders onstage. Robb brought a cherubic innocence to Flinn that made her even more lovable, and she is starkly contrasted by McKinnon and Strife commanding attention as the violent and conceited aides. As an added bonus, I enjoyed spotting little moments of Warren and Flinn flirting in the background of a few scenes. Leonard, as opposed to the other aides, displayed Turkle similarly to the popular college professor: stern enough to earn respect while casual enough to allow students (or patients in this case) to trust him. Rounding out the cast are the only two characters not affiliated with the ward in any aspect: Candy Starr (Juliana Penney) and Sandra (Nicole Shaw). Both women work as prostitutes and find their way into the ward thanks to having the (dis?)pleasure of knowing Randle P. McMurphy. Penney and Shaw are a bold pair as Candy and Sandy, each filling the space with an energy that could light it all ablaze. Even in their short time onstage within the ward, they stick in your head like a wad of bubblegum which is very telling as to the level of their abilities as actors.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is hands down a must-see. Whether you’re already a fan of the work or have never read it before, you will not be disappointed. MTM Players have put together a profoundly mesmerizing iteration of this classic novel that never drops your attention and gets your heart pumping. This entire group deserves many ovations and rounds of applause, please make your way out to join in delivering their accolades. The show is running through March 29, 2026 and tickets can be found here: https://www.purplepass.com/organizer/66720?mibextid=Zxz2cZ