BWW Reviews: Fusion Theatre Co. Presents HUMBLE BOY

I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the Fusion Theatre Company. Their productions are highly professional, well produced and consistently deliver good, solid theatrical entertainment. So it pains me considerably to have to say that HUMBLE BOY, which opened at the Cell Theatre on April 25, falls disappointingly short of the mark.

Written by British actress turned playwright, Charlotte Jones, HUMBLE BOY is a play apparently inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet. The central figure is Felix Humble, a shambling and stammering research fellow, studying astrophysics at Cambridge. He returns home, on the sudden death of his father, to find his mother preparing to marry her vulgar, long-time lover, George Pye, a man he cannot stand.

To add further complications to the mix, Felix himself had a long-time affair with George's daughter, Rosie, some seven years earlier and now discovers that he is the father of her child.

For some reason, bees figure prominently throughout the story. Felix's dad, James Humble, who appears as a ghostly gardener, was a biology teacher and a bee-keeper and his beehive, now empty of its occupants, is a major focus of attention and discussion. (Is this meant to be a play on words, 'To be(e) or not to be(e).... '? And, if so, what is the point?) Felix Humble is no Prince Hamlet, his father was not murdered, lofty ideas and grand passion are notably absent and the play, lacking a driving force and focus, never gels into anything distinctive or tangible. Since, in the end, Jones seems to have nothing in particular to say about Hamlet, what exactly did she hope to achieve by writing this play?

That aside, HUMBLE BOY is a very British play (I have to admit, upfront, that I'm a Brit.) and it's as much about British manners, class, communication and humor, as it is about the story itself. For the play to be effective and even remotely credible, the actors need to understand and be able to convincingly convey, the culture they are representing.

That is, unfortunately, not the case here. For a start, the accents are not only wrong; they are also confusing. Accents are an important indication of social status in Britain and are part of the social fabric that defines these characters' relationships. But that element, that yardstick, is completely missing, because all the characters have quite different accents, randomly ranging from the north of England to Ireland to the south of London, with various, unidentifiable shades in between.

Humor, too, is an important element in this script, but the essence of British humor lies in its understatement and timing. Much of the comic potential in this production is lost, due to acting that is borderline over-the-top - an interpretation that feels uncomfortably inappropriate and very un-British.

The costumes, too, are out of keeping with the style of a couple living comfortably in a small village in the English countryside. Felix's mother, Flora, is particularly at odds with her character's dress code, a disconnect made worse by her bizarre hairstyle. And Felix, visiting from Cambridge, would not arrive wearing a bright red Manchester Utd. T-shirt.

Last, but for a Brit., certainly not least, there's the Pimms. . . a much-loved, traditional summer drink, made by mixing Pimms #1 with English lemonade. It's a classic and comes in a tall glass decorated with a slice of orange and/or cucumber. The characters in HUMBLE BOY pour it over ice and drink it neat (something that would be unthinkable in real life) and even drink it straight from the bottle, like beer. This may seem like a minor gripe, but, if the aim is to create a genuine environment, then detail really does matter.

All the cast members are good actors. I've seen several of them in previous productions and they know their craft. This production, sadly, does not do them justice, but the Fusion Theatre Company still deserves to be supported. HUMBLE BOY is not a typical example of their work and I expect future productions to be back to their usual high standard.

HUMBLE BOY plays at the Cell through May 5, then transfers to the Lensic, in Santa Fe, May 7/8, before returning to Albuquerque, appearing at the Kimo, May 10/11.

For more info: www.fusionabq.org

www.cabq.gov.

www.lensic.org

Photo courtesy of Fusion Theatre Co.

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