The story of Helen Keller transmits a powerful message of overcoming near impossible feats. Keller rose to international fame through her autobiography ‘The Story of My Life,’which documented her struggles with deafness and blindness.

Keller’s extraordinary life story still reaches people through William Gibson’s play ‘The Miracle Worker,’ which premiered on Broadway on Oct. 19, 1959, and is now playing at Syracuse Stage in Archbold Theatre through April 23.

Based on Keller’s autobiography, the play centers on her encounter with Annie Sullivan, who helped her understand the world she couldn’t see or hear. To help their 6-year-old deaf and blind daughter, Capt. Arthur Keller and his wife, Kate, employed Sullivan. A major part of Sullivan’s work included reversing Helen’s difficult behavior, a result of her parents’ constant coddling and spoiling, and making connections between words and their meaning.

Syracuse Stage’s production, directed by Paul Barnes, beautifully captures the battle Sullivan and Keller endured to achieve the miracle of Helen’s understanding. The energy in the show, which could easily have lagged, was never missing throughout all three acts. This allowed the story to maintain its integrity.

The scenic design of the play, created by Michael Vaughn Sims, offers a realistic view of a Southern home in late 19th century Alabama. Due to the blind and deaf main character, the set had to be made into a place where someone with such impairments could realistically move around. Aesthetically, the set draws the eye with bright bursts of color and stunning set pieces.

The costume design, crafted by Tracy Dorman, greatly contributes to the authenticity of the play’s setting. The impeccable details of each character draw the audience into the scene to a much greater extent.

The casting for ‘The Miracle Worker’ proved spot-on with each actor on stage giving heartfelt performances. The performers filled the part they were given to the best of their abilities. As an ensemble, the cast worked off of one another’s portrayals and made the play’s scenes more memorable. It was Jacqueline Baum, however, who stood out and lifted the production to its greatness.

Baum, who portrays Helen Keller, gives an absolutely spellbinding performance. Having no lines in the show’s entirety and using only physical acting to convey emotion, the 11-year-old Baum outperforms the entire cast of seasoned professionals. Despite three acts of physically tiring scenes, she doesn’t lose her energy. By the end, the entire audience became deeply emotional from her performance.

‘The Miracle Worker’ sends messages of perseverance to the audience, inspiring all to conquer obstacles and never give up hope.

nbsilver@syr.edu

Published on March 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Noah: nbsilver@syr.edu