First Class a glimpse into the life of a troubled genius

The ACT theater's production of First Class is a performance inspired by playwright David Wagoner's personal relationship with poet and UW professor Theodore Roethke in the 1960s. It is a one-man show starring John Aylward as the troubled poet [HTML_REMOVED] along with a constant stream-of-consciousness narrative that explores his personal demons and allows the audience a rare look inside the mind of a creative genius.

When Wagoner was a student, Roethke was his personal mentor and had a lasting effect on the playwright. As well as being a first-hand account of Roethke's struggles with himself and his work, the play is also a story of admiration and friendship, and Wagoner's veneration for the deceased poet is clearly evident.

Roethke is widely known as one of the most influential poets of the 20th century; he taught at the UW until 1963, when he passed away from a heart attack. He struggled to live up to his own expectations throughout his life, even after winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for his collection The Waking. He also suffered from bipolar disorder [HTML_REMOVED] as have many other creative geniuses [HTML_REMOVED] and the condition's hectic states of high and low often made it difficult to write.

Ultimately, as a teacher, Roethke had a powerful influence on his students and was said to have inspired many young minds with his sheer devotion to the creative arts. John Aylward is brilliant in the role, with an uncanny ability to muster up the intense emotion and animation necessary to portray Roethke. We see him in his highs [HTML_REMOVED] cocky and jeering his students and the world. We also see him in his lows [HTML_REMOVED] afraid, unhappy and ultimately vulnerable.

In this production, the stage is his classroom and the audience acts as students immersed in Roethke's teachings. In his role as the poet, Aylward does an incredible job of portraying Roethke's strong love of poetry; the audience experiences it just as his former students did. He also shows Roethke's writing process [HTML_REMOVED] a long and arduous one in which he would lock himself up and growl for many hours, trying to muster up poetry which met his personal standards.

While the play itself does have minor flaws [HTML_REMOVED] namely being slightly too long and at times disturbing [HTML_REMOVED] it is ultimately a must-see for the poetry enthusiast or anyone with an interest in theater or the arts. Seeing Aylward master the personality of a creative genius and exude such passion and emotion is very impressive indeed.

"I would say he's probably one of the most brilliant, troubled individuals in the planet," Aylward said of his character. "He lived in the moment and he treasured every great moment and he hated the lows. He was not a happy camper. When he was on his game, he was in a euphoric state. All I know was that he was a very brilliant, mercurial, fascinating individual [HTML_REMOVED] it must have been hard to have been him."

Aylward said it was an enormous challenge for him to portray such a complicated and enigmatic character.

"It was an immensely challenging part," he said. "I look upon it as one of the great roles. It's like Lear or anything else that requires a great amount of discipline and a journey. Engaging the audience and going through a descent into madness and coming out again. I do enjoy it, once the lights go down. It feels like hard work, but I know how to do it, and I'm having a good time."

[HTML_REMOVED]Reach reporter Katie Stapleton-Paff at arts@thedaily.washington.edu[HTML_REMOVED]