Michigan Tech presents “When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder,” a renowned play by Mark Medoff which later had a movie adaptation and was widely acclaimed by critics after its release. This highly sought-after 1979 film is regarded as one of the great lost films of the 70s. This movie, which was directed by Milton Katselas, starred Marjoe Gortner, the famous orator of the 1960s, Candy Clark, who is still remembered for her work as Debbie Dunham in the film American Grafitti, and has Stephanie Faracy and Lee Grant as the leads.
The setting of this movie is a place known as Foster’s Diner, a rest stop in the outskirts of a city in New Mexico which has lost its customers due to the opening of a highway bypass which diverted all the traffic, pushing the diner to a close. The protagonists are Stephen “Red” Rider, an employee of the diner, and his colleague Angel. The movie quickly picks up the pace with the personal stories of both the characters getting trapped at the workplace. Another important character would be their discipline-loving boss, Clark, who picks on his employees. The adjacent filling station is owned by Lyle who occasionally breaks the monotony with irregular outbursts of witty humor when it is least expected, one of the highlights of the film.
The mundane routine of these characters is disrupted by the arrival of two couples who make it apparent with their attire that they are rich and not local. This upscale couple, Richard and Clarisse, is accompanied by the young and puerile Teddy, a veteran of the Vietnam War and his hipster girlfriend, Cheryl. Tensions rise when the following scenes condense into a situation involving drugs and guns as it rapidly escalates and gets out of control when Teddy resorts to physical, mental and emotional torture when he shows signs of trauma and holds everyone hostage.
The play won the Obie Award and Outer Critics Circle Award said it was “a fascinating and commanding play…one of the very best plays of the season…” by the New York Times. The year of the release of this film, Medoff won the Tony Award. His background in Broadway is obvious as the acting, writing and direction are above average. This play will be shown at the McArdle Theatre in Walker Hall, 207 on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7.30 p.m. The play version is being hosted by the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and Department of Visual and Performing Arts. Tickets are $13 for adults and $5 for youth, and the students who have paid their Experience Tech Fee are allowed in for free. To purchase tickets contact the ticketing office at (906) 487-2073 or check out http://www.mtu.edu/rozsa.
It is important to note that this play utilizes adult language and violence and there will be a theatrical gunshot fired during the play.
