PLAYWRIGHT SALLY DAWIDOFF TAKES ON A TERRIFIC CHALLENGE with her stage adaptation of “The Crazed,” the story of a young man’s coming of age in China on the eve of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, showing through June 22 at the Berkeley City Club.

Based on the novel of the same title by Chinese American playwright Ha Jin, the play struggles to tell everything briefly, rather than elaborate on the story’s few key elements. Central Works artistic director Gary Graves leads a strong cast in the production, which focuses on a young student and how the events of the time come together to re-shape his world outlook, and his academic career.

At the heart of the story is the young man (Will Dao as Jian Wan) who becomes disillusioned as he learns that his government is not acting in accordance with its stated principles. Jian sees the government that he had believed was “for the people” actually stripping away the people’s freedoms. After he visits a city so poor that they have no access to electricity or even clean water, he begins to consider that the “counter-revolutionary” sentiments of his fellow students may not be as far-fetched as he had previously believed.

Dao masters the role of the mature but politically naïve student. As the center of the story, he interacts strongly with each of the other players, creating a vibrant environment that captures the spirit of their relationships.

I love the way the playwright uses the characters in Jian’s life to represent distinct influences that shape his perspective. Ying Peng (Jeannie Barroga) is the school official trying desperately to gain Jian’s sympathies for the Communist Party. Rather than encourage him in his academic pursuits, she attempts to interfere with Jian’s studies, steering him to re-direct his passion for classic poetry in favor of a path more conducive to party principles.

Mantao (Wes Gabrillo), on the other hand, is the friend who questions authority from the outset. Mantao is willing to risk repercussions by speaking his mind. He supports the growing student movement against the current regime — to the dismay of their third friend, Banping (Perry Aliado), who prefers to follow his leaders blindly and enjoy the accompanying material rewards.

Actors’ Equity Association member Randall Nakano is Professor Yang, mentor to Jian. Nakano is convincing as the stroke patient in his hospital bed, at whose side Jian struggles to glean meaning from the professor’s confusing ramblings about poetry, literature and country. Carina Lastimosa Salazar also portrays well the conservative young med student Meimei, the object of Jian’s affections. And Jeannie Barroga is eerily convincing as the politically ambitious administrative secretary Ying Peng.

The poignant message of “The Crazed” comes through clearly and beautifully. The play follows the intellectual and emotional development of a young man who is faced with the kinds of personal issues that are common to many college students. In Jian Wan’s case, the choices he makes have immediate and profound consequences, and so bring into greater focus just how social and political issues can affect students along their academic paths.

“The Crazed” tells an important story, and the players present it well, with a few exceptions. It’s not easy to feel the passion when Jian gets into heated arguments with his professor or his fiancée, for example, and several story details are introduced that don’t add to the story but only distract from the flow. When Professor Yang starts reading aloud the newspaper story of a female student’s fatal attempt to flee the country, Jian becomes highly agitated, but only because he is not supposed to allow the professor to read anything. The moment speeds past without discussion, or even the suggestion of a thoughtful response.

The play is not so much about the Tiananmen Square massacre as it is about the development of a young man’s character. The historic tragedy serves mainly as a marker for the setting in which the story unfolds. To enjoy the play to its fullest, audiences would be advised not to go in expecting to learn more about the infamous event, but rather to see how it figured in shaping the views of four different young people.

If You Go
“The Crazed” continues at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley through June 22. Tickets are $15 to $28 and are available by calling 800-838-3006 or online at centralworks.org.

Elizabeth Warnimont is a freelance writer specializing in the performing arts. She is also a substitute teacher for the Benicia Unified School District.