Ghost Light Theatre Festival has opened at the Veterans Memorial Theater with its first of four mainstage productions, Oscar Wilde’s “Lady Windermere’s Fan,” directed by Emily Henderson.
This is a play which centers on the strict morals of Victorian England, when courtesy and manners were valued above personal conflicts. One did not air one’s dirty laundry in public. Into this world comes a situation rife with delicious innuendo and the whole town is talking about it.
Lady Windermere (Alicia Hunt) is about to celebrate her birthday and has received an ornate fan as a gift from her husband . She is visited by the gossipy Duchess of Berwick (Betsy Raymond) and her daughter Lady Agatha (Madelyn Ligtenberg) and told that her husband has been seen calling on a woman of bad reputation, a Mrs Erlynne. The Duchess intimates that Lord Windermere has been giving this woman large sums of money.
Lady Windermere finds her husband’s secret bank book showing substantial payments to Mrs. Erlynne and concludes that the rumor is true and that her husband has been unfaithful. What's more, Lord Windermere (Anthony Pinto) asks her to invite Mrs Erlynne to her birthday gathering. She refuses but her husband sends the invitation anyway and Mrs Erlynne (Maddy Ryen) comes to the party. There is a near confrontation between the two women.
Lady Windermere decides she can no longer live with her husband, and runs away to join an admirer, Lord Darlington (Blake Campbell-Hyde), leaving behind a good bye letter for her husband. The letter is intercepted by Mrs Erlynne, who pursues her and persuades her to return home without Windermere finding out. Unfortunately, Lady Windermere leaves her new fan behind.
Later the men gather at Darlington's place and the fan is found but Mrs Erlynne appears and says that it was she who left the fan, thereby ruining her own reputation by being in a gentleman’s apartment and also ruins her chances of marrying Lord Augustus Lorton (Davis Wurzler). The motive for this act of self sacrifice is revealed to the audience, but not to Lady Windermere, who never does learn that Mrs. Erlynne is the mother she thought died when she was a child.
The cast give generally fine performances, with one or two rising above the level of competent. Maddy Ryen as Mrs. Erlynne does an excellent job. We aren’t sure if she’s a sympathetic character or a blackmailing shrew, but in the end she discovers that she has a heart and has feelings for the daughter she abandoned long ago.
In the minor role of Mr. Cecil Graham, Nick Bettencourt gets the most out of the wit of Oscar Wilde. Wilde was the master of the bon mot and this play is rife with them. (“I can resist anything but temptation,” “It is absurd to divide people into the good and the bad. People are either charming or tedious,” “History is merely gossip. But scandal is gossip made tedious by morality,” “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes,” etc.) Unfortunately, many of them fall flat, but Bettencourt’s delivery is the most effective.
The scene is one of the strongest in the play, a group of men sitting around smoking, drinking, and discussing life.
Betsy Raymond, in her small role as the Duchess of Berwick is appropriately bitchy, as she revels in her opportunity to be the bearer of bad news to poor Lady Windermere. Madelyn Ligtenberg as her daughter gets the most out of a role where all one has to do is say “yes, Ma-ma.”
Costume design by Randi Famula is outstanding in the gowns for the women, though there were some problems with fit on the men’s costumes, probably because they were evening clothes pulled off the rack. Someone should make certain, however, that the actors wear the appropriate socks. Green socks and white socks do not go well with the evening attire, and when the men sit down and stretch their legs out, the socks are impossible to overlook.
This is a good production, not a great production. Director Henderson has done a good job of moving her cast around the stage and her vision of the play and the era is good. The main problem with it may be that Oscar Wilde needs an older, more seasoned cast to wring all the subtleties out of the script.
Lady Windermere’s Fan continues August 1, 4, and 6 at 8 p.m., and August 2 – the program says 11 p.m., but surely it must mean a.m.
Showing posts with label Ghostlight Theatre Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ghostlight Theatre Festival. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Monday, August 19, 2002
La Bete
Playwright David Kirson's "La Bete," this week's offering of the Ghostlight Theatre Festival, had its premier in 1991 and won numerous awards in New York and London, including the New York Newsday/Oppenheimer Award, the Lawrence Olivier Award for Comedy of the Year, six Drama Desk Awards (including Best Play of 1991), and also received five Tony award nominations. It appears to be the sort of play that you either love or hate.
Written in the style of French playwright Moliere, this is a play written in iambic rhymed couplets, containing some absolutely marvelous, if unlikely, rhymes (e.g., "Zanzibar" with "too far.") Its purpose is to examine who dictates the standards of popular culture.
One gets a good feeling about the evening ahead from the moment of entering the Veteran's Memorial Theatre. Scenic designer Robert Frye and lighting designer Greg Wershing have combined to create the estate of Prince Conti, with marble staircases on either side of the stage, a circular tile floor (scrupulously being scrubbed by serving maid Eleanor van Hest), and marble busts on pillars, each one bathed by a special spotlight. The stage curtain has been swept up into a luxurious soft drape and the visual effect of the whole is lovely.
Van Hest is charming as she tiptoes around the stage, tripping over her skirt, and unable to speak, unless she can rhyme with the word "blue."
As the play begins, two members of the court's acting troupe, the leader Elomire (an anagram of "Moliere") and his second in command Bejart are complaining that, by royal decree, they will be forced to accept what they feel is a bad actor (Valere) as part of the troupe because he has written a ridiculous play which the Prince wants the troupe to perform.
( "Naught could induce me, save a Holy Writ,
To share the stage with that dull hypocrite!" says Elomire.)
Valere is bright, clever, egotistical and hopelessly self-centered. His entrance in Act I is followed by a rhymed monologue which must go on for 20 minutes.
("God bless the critics, in no uncertain terms.
They have the apple, showing us our worms.")
Isaac Woofter gives an inspired performance in the role of Valere. He swoops, he minces, he postures and he appears oblivious to the disapproval of his fellow actors. He leaves little for Elomire (Joe Sheehey) and Bejart (Adam Sartain) to do but watch and seethe, while he chews the scenery. Listening to Woofter's Valere, we get a feel for his style of low brow humor, and we see the disapproval of Elomire and Bejart and their dedication to more high-brow art.
In Act 2, we meet the rest of the players--Madeline, sister to Bejart (Amy Takeuchi), DeBrie (Sam Tanng), Catherine, his wife (Jessica Kitchens), Rene DePare (Ryan Williams) Marquise-Terese, his wife (Dana Snyder).
The Prince (Jason Oler) arrives, apparently excited about the addition of Valere to the troupe. He describes him as an "idiot savant" (to which Elomire replies "I half agree.").
Valere is allowed to perform his play, "The Parable of Two Boys from Cadiz" -- a play that charts the triumph of banality and bad taste over genuine wit and philosophy. Elomire is, not surprisingly, horrified.
Sheehey's Elomire shines in Act 2 as he rails against the corruption of an art he takes very seriously.
However, when the performing group is asked to choose between the high standards of Elomire and vulgar antics of Valere, the group goes for the cheap laughs and Valere has won.
Director Tom Burmester brings out strong performances from his cast, and has woven a tight knit production which moves at a fast pace, allowing for maximum enjoyment of the playwright's delicious use of language.
The lavish period costumes of Costume Designer Roxanne Femling create the feel of a 17th century French from head (with marvelous curled wigs) to toe (high heeled buckled shoes). The entire look is a visual delight.
La Bete may not be for younger audiences, as its humor may be a bit too sophisticated to hold their attention, but those who appreciate the humor of language will find this a very enjoyable evening.
Stars: 4
Written in the style of French playwright Moliere, this is a play written in iambic rhymed couplets, containing some absolutely marvelous, if unlikely, rhymes (e.g., "Zanzibar" with "too far.") Its purpose is to examine who dictates the standards of popular culture.
One gets a good feeling about the evening ahead from the moment of entering the Veteran's Memorial Theatre. Scenic designer Robert Frye and lighting designer Greg Wershing have combined to create the estate of Prince Conti, with marble staircases on either side of the stage, a circular tile floor (scrupulously being scrubbed by serving maid Eleanor van Hest), and marble busts on pillars, each one bathed by a special spotlight. The stage curtain has been swept up into a luxurious soft drape and the visual effect of the whole is lovely.
Van Hest is charming as she tiptoes around the stage, tripping over her skirt, and unable to speak, unless she can rhyme with the word "blue."
As the play begins, two members of the court's acting troupe, the leader Elomire (an anagram of "Moliere") and his second in command Bejart are complaining that, by royal decree, they will be forced to accept what they feel is a bad actor (Valere) as part of the troupe because he has written a ridiculous play which the Prince wants the troupe to perform.
( "Naught could induce me, save a Holy Writ,
To share the stage with that dull hypocrite!" says Elomire.)
Valere is bright, clever, egotistical and hopelessly self-centered. His entrance in Act I is followed by a rhymed monologue which must go on for 20 minutes.
("God bless the critics, in no uncertain terms.
They have the apple, showing us our worms.")
Isaac Woofter gives an inspired performance in the role of Valere. He swoops, he minces, he postures and he appears oblivious to the disapproval of his fellow actors. He leaves little for Elomire (Joe Sheehey) and Bejart (Adam Sartain) to do but watch and seethe, while he chews the scenery. Listening to Woofter's Valere, we get a feel for his style of low brow humor, and we see the disapproval of Elomire and Bejart and their dedication to more high-brow art.
In Act 2, we meet the rest of the players--Madeline, sister to Bejart (Amy Takeuchi), DeBrie (Sam Tanng), Catherine, his wife (Jessica Kitchens), Rene DePare (Ryan Williams) Marquise-Terese, his wife (Dana Snyder).
The Prince (Jason Oler) arrives, apparently excited about the addition of Valere to the troupe. He describes him as an "idiot savant" (to which Elomire replies "I half agree.").
Valere is allowed to perform his play, "The Parable of Two Boys from Cadiz" -- a play that charts the triumph of banality and bad taste over genuine wit and philosophy. Elomire is, not surprisingly, horrified.
Sheehey's Elomire shines in Act 2 as he rails against the corruption of an art he takes very seriously.
However, when the performing group is asked to choose between the high standards of Elomire and vulgar antics of Valere, the group goes for the cheap laughs and Valere has won.
Director Tom Burmester brings out strong performances from his cast, and has woven a tight knit production which moves at a fast pace, allowing for maximum enjoyment of the playwright's delicious use of language.
The lavish period costumes of Costume Designer Roxanne Femling create the feel of a 17th century French from head (with marvelous curled wigs) to toe (high heeled buckled shoes). The entire look is a visual delight.
La Bete may not be for younger audiences, as its humor may be a bit too sophisticated to hold their attention, but those who appreciate the humor of language will find this a very enjoyable evening.
Stars: 4
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