Play focuses on plight of mentally challenged

Friday, Feb. 15, 2002 | 4:37 a.m.

Four mentally challenged men sharing a group home face unique challenges and comedic experiences in Tom Griffin's play "The Boys Next Door," which is being performed Thursday through Sunday at the Lorna J. Kesterson Valley View Recreation Center.

Presented by Theatre in the Valley, the comedy follows the lives of the men during a three-day period.

One of them is facing a fearful visit from his father, and another has to testify before a Senate subcommittee in order to reclaim his government checks.

All four realize their world is about to change when Jack, their burnt-out social worker, lifeline to mainstream society and friend, decides that he needs to move on.

The play's characters include Barry, a schizophrenic who has grown up in an institution and believes that he is a golf pro; Norman, who works in a doughnut shop and has a love interest; and Lucien, who, at a riveting point in the play, describes himself as a man who has the mental capacity of somewhere between a "5-year-old and an oyster."

Arnold, a mildly retarded, high-strung manic-depressive with a persecution complex, is the group's leader.

A movie based on the play was released in 1996 and co-starred Nathan Lane.

Paula Wilkes, director of the local production, said she hopes the play will help bridge the gap between the mentally challenged community and mainstream society by providing an understanding of the mentally challenged person's perspective on life.

Some people are threatened by mental retardation and mental illness, Wilkes said. "It's an area that a lot of people shy away from."

But, she added, mentally challenged people deal with the same issues as the rest of society.

"They're faced with the same heartaches," she said. "They want the same joys and pleasures out of life."

Wilkes is a drama teacher at Lake Mead Christian Academy in Henderson. She said that she first read the script for "The Boys Next Door" two years ago and fell in love with the story.

"It's humorous," she said. "It's poignant."

Actor Steve Manges plays Lucien; Rick Bindhamer is Norman; Destiny Teasley is Norman's love-interest, Sheila; Irv Atkins plays Arnold; Michael Horvath plays Barry; and Gary Lunn is Jack.

Additional characters are performed by Jackie Shick, George Nix and Dick Connelly.

The theater company will donate part of the ticket sales to Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, a state agency that provides mental-health services for adults in Southern Nevada.

The agency also provides on-site counseling and in-patient care, as well as community outreach services to the mentally challenged.