Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 11/20/07 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Jesse DeFlorio/Greyhound Matt Anderson (left) plays another of the mentally challenged men, with his condition being the most serious. Senior Matt Rooney (right) plays Jack Palmer, the case worker for all of the men.

You've probably heard it said countless times before. You're probably guilty of saying it once or twice without thinking - "Retarded." Used in place of slightly less offensive terms like "stupid," "dumb," or "unpleasant," "retarded" has come to mean anything that we deem different, wrong, or what causes us to feel uncomfortable. Despite the overwhelming desire by some to make the world a more politically correct place, free of labels and judgment based on where we come from or what we look like, the fact of the matter is that this probably won't happen anytime soon. People will feel guilty about the things that they've said in the heat of the moment or in the past, and some may make a genuine change in the way they view the world and the people that inhabit it. Others may simply elect to let those emotions fall away as daily life resumes around them. But what about the things or people that we've branded with this name? What happens to them? Do they fade away as well?

The answer that the Poison Cup Players attempt to offer to that question is a resounding "NO." In their production this year, "The Boys Next Door," the Poisoned Cup Players try to shed some light on the plight of those that society originally labeled as "retarded," the mentally handicapped. Written by Tom Griffin and directed by senior Lorraine Cuddeback, "The Boys Next Door" tells the story of four mentally challenged men and the specialist that cares for them at the Stonehenge Villa Apartment Complex. Each of these four men has a varying level of mental retardation and disorders that are as unique as their personalities and histories. Arnold Wiggins, played by sophomore Colin Reilly, has a nervous condition that causes him to nervously analyze every situation and interaction that he experiences to an extreme. His job at a local movie theatre and living in the apartment complex cause him undue levels of stress, often driving him to make claims of potentially striking out on his own for far-off places that might better suit his desires for order and structure. Senior Kevin Hughes plays Barry Klemper, a partial schizophrenic who believes he is a pro golfer. Barry can never truly escape the demons of his troubled past - many brought on by problems with his neglectful and abusive father, played by junior Charlie Strode. A meeting between father and son ultimately proves too much for both Barry and the rest of the housemates to take, leaving the audience to question where the line between acceptance and ignorance truly lies.

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