Full confessions are seldom necessary in this land of make believe that we choose to inhabit, but I have realized that even though George Bernard Shaw is one of the most important playwrights of the last century and his reputation for stinging wit is legend.. well.. I did see Major Barbara oe time..The set was great!!
But.. no scholar am I.
That said!! We come to Misalliance! It's May 31, 1909. Rich folks.. The Summerhays and the Tarletons with interlopers.. They all come together in broad strokes on scenic designer Angela Balogh Calin's
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| Josey Montana McCoy, Deborah Strang, and Frederick Stuart Photo by Craig Schwartz |
gorgeous set (really, really, really wonderful and really gorgeous) complete with portable Turkish Bath!
Misalliance is filled with satire and a look at what Mr. Shaw thought of the Brits! Director Guillermo Cienfuegos's vision, of manners and protocols (more or less on steroids) lands beautifully.
Cienfuegos's choreographed stage pictures echo the times: formal and in Shaw's estimation, well over the top.
As Bunny (please don't call me that) Josey Montana McCoy at about five feet nothing and one ten soaking wet visits the elegant home of his future wife, sturdy Hypatia Tarleton (Erika Soto) whose libido is high and her tolerance for chatter is nil.
As Hypatia's mother, Mrs. Tarleton (Debra Strang..a fave) pretty much rules the roost, we meet the players and unlikely 'comments' via Shaw's biting satire. Things move slowly through Act I. Early on, very tall Johnny (Riley Shanahan) Hypatia's brother, arrives to torment Bunny. And, Lord Summerhays (Frederick Stuart) Bunny's dad and the former governor of some fictitious British territory, when left along with Hypatia,, delivers one of the best lines in the play as he plights his own troth to her by asking her to be his 'widow'!! With Stuart as Lord Summerhays and Peter Van Norden as John Tarleton, Sr., sometimes it's a challenge to decide who is whom, but no matter. Read Twain.
Rolling right along, Misalliance is a very long and talky play. I'm with Hypatia with all the blather, but a few zingers and the rolling pace keep us alert with events to come.
Then!! Thank goodness for the sound of an aeroplane engine sputtering and a crash that delivers huge surprises. Blackout!
Lights up!! Act II
The plot explodes with the arrival of Joey Percival (Dan Lin). Diversity casting delivers, It's a stretch. BUT!! Oh For Goodness Sakes! a spectacular dare devil! Lina Szczepanowka (Trisha Miller) from Poland! Lina is taking names & making a list of all the men who are immediately in line to become her Mister Szczepanowka.
Miller essentially steals the show.. but wait.. another off the wall character with an axe to grind with John Sr. shows up!! With a pistol!
Here's the rub. The aforementioned Turkish Bath is placed well upstage behind the sofa. The Turkish Bath is vital to the final revelations that Shaw has in store for us.
As Gunner (for lack of a real name at first) then later Baker.. Joshua Bitton brings the physical aspect of what Shaw may have had in mind, beautifully to the stage. Even as a footnote, the physical action is a welcome bit that must reflect some issue that Shaw had with something that made him decide to expand the story past to resolve basic plot. It's a twist!
Had the Turkish Bath been more prominent in its placement, the end game of the intruder and the dance that follows might have been even more fun.
Suffice it to say that this spectacular production with amazing costumes by Christine Cover Ferro presents a professional and welcome addition to the well earned reputation of Pasadena's A Noise Within.
My advice for all who must find a performance to attend is to read this play first. It's on line. The British accents are well done, but for me sometimes difficult to understand. And.. ANW has a new program that they are promoting with captioned dialogue sent magically to one's cell phone?
Subtitles. Check the ANW website for information.
Please.. See this show after reading the play AND wade in for the jokes and the excellent performances from a Master Builder of theatre one hundred and twentyfive years ago! Read Shaw!
Kudos to director Cinefuegos and cast and crew! See this one!
CAST
. Johnny Tarleton: Riley Shanahan*
- Bentley Summerhays: Josey Montana McCoy*
- Hypatia Tarleton: Erika Soto*
- Mrs. Tarleton: Deborah Strang*
- Lord Summerhays: Frederick Stuart*
- Mr. John Tarleton: Peter Van Norden*
- Joey Percival: Dan Lin
- Lina Szczepanowka: Trisha Miller*
- Julius Baker: Joshua Bitton*
- Understudy Bentley Summerhays: Cody Sloan*
Crew
scenic designer Angela Balogh Calin; lighting designer Ken Booth; composer sound designer Christopher Moscatiello;
costume designer Christine Cover Ferro;
wig and make up designer Tony Valdés;
properties designer Stephen Taylor; dialect coach Andrea Odinov; dramaturg Miranda Johnson-Haddad.
assistant director is Rachel Berney–Needleman.
production stage manager Angela Sonner, assisted by Hope Matthews.
Public Relations Lucy Pollak
Misalliance
by George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos
A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
Previews May 12 – May 17
Performances May 18 – June 9
• Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.: May 15 ONLY (Preview)
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: May 23, May 30, June 6 (dark May 16)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 17 (Preview); May 24*; May 31*; June 7*
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: May 25; June 1; June 8 (no matinee on May 18)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 18 (Opening Night); May 25; June 1; (No 8 p.m. performance on June 8)
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 12 (Preview); May 19; May 26*; June 2; June 9
*Post–performance conversations with the artists take place every Friday (except the preview) and on Sunday, May 26.
A student matinee will take place on Thursday, May 16 at 10:30 a.m. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.
TICKETS:
• Tickets start at $29
• Student tickets start at $18
• Wednesday, May 15 (preview) and Thursday, May 23: Pay What You Choose starting at $10
(available online beginning at noon the Monday prior to that
performance, and at the box office beginning at 2 p.m. on the day of the
performance.)
• Discounts available for groups of 10 or more
www.anoisewithin.org
(626) 356-3100
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