Reviewed by James
Karas
The lives of the rich hold a great
fascination for most people, especially for Americans. The United States is
perhaps the only nation in the world that has the acquisition of wealth
enshrined in its Declaration of Independence as a God-given, unalienable right.
When they say “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” you can be sure
that the last word does not mean merely spiritual contentment.
What better subject for a play than a glimpse
at how the wealthy live and marry peppered with mild satire and a great deal of
laughter. That is what The
Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry offers and the play gets a fine
production by the Shaw festival.
The focus of the play is the loaded and
slightly eccentric Lord family of Philadelphia where the beautiful Tracy (Moya
O’Connell) is about to marry her second husband.
When the curtain is raised we see a spacious
and gorgeously furnished room designed by William Schmuck. This is what money
can buy if you are rich or have a good set designer.
Before the wedding ceremony is performed we
are provided with laughter by the eccentricities of the Lords, the surprise
arrival of Tracy’s father Seth (Juan Chioran) who is busy with his mistress,
the presence of Uncle Willie (Ric Reid) who is busy with his hands and the arrival
of Mike Connor (Patrick McManus) and Liz Imbrie (Fiona Byrne) who are on a
secret mission to cover the wedding and report on the rich.
The catalyst for action is Tracy’s little
sister Dinah (Tess Begner) who is conspiring to wreck the upcoming wedding to
Kittredge (Thom Marriott) and restore Tracy’s first husband Dexter (Gray
Powell) as her spouse.
The central character is Tracy, the virgin
goddess, the spoiled brat, the young woman looking for her identity, the
beautiful woman looking for love. Take your pick. O’Connell glides and twirls around the stage
gracefully and seductively.
She got cold feet and eloped with Dexter, her
first husband, two years ago but he is still very much around. Gray Powell is
not terribly convincing as the romantic hero who swept Tracy off her feet once
and may do so again. The wardrobe department should have another look at his
outfits but that is not the major problem.
The competition is represented by Kittredge
and Thom Marriott has an easier job than Powell as the big hulk who may know a
lot about business but does not have a romantic bone in his body.
Juan Chioran looked uncomfortable as the
philandering father who shows up for the wedding even though he is not supposed
to. Ric Reid gets many more laughs as the horny Uncle Willie.
McManus and Byrne make an entertaining couple
as Mike Connor, the reporter who really wants to be a writer and the smart and
sarcastic photographer Liz.
Director Dennis Garnhum does not miss any
beats except for the items mentioned above.
The sizable cast is rather uneven but the laughs do come in and the
production does make for a fun evening at the theatre.
______
The Philadelphia
Story by Philip Barry continues until October 25, 2014 at the Festival Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Ontario. www.shawfest.com.
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