"Mary, Mary": A Blast from the Past at Spotlighters

            If Sherrionne Brown puts as much effort into a dinner party as she does with her plays, I would love to be on her guest list.  Boy, does she know how to decorate and entertain!  When you see her name listed as any part of the production team at a local production, you are guaranteed at least 100% effort, if not 100% pay off.  And with Mary, Mary, Brown and team have given 100% effort, if not quite 100% pay off.  (But they are very close!)

            The first production on Spotlighters' list for 2007 is a now quaint, probably then a rather risque little romp, called Mary, Mary.  It is a comedy firmly rooted in its early 60's timeframe, which Ms. Brown has wisely kept.  The result is a fun look back at a time when a long running play got by on a slim plot (a nearly divorced couple reunites to solve a tax problem and discovers the old flame isn't quite out yet), a perhaps titillating topic (divorce, in general, and a not-yet-divorced man taking a much younger fiance), and a ridiculous bet to add conflict (old buddies bet the not-yet-ex-wife can be seduced by a friend who happens to be a movie star).  Add some snappy cocktail party repartee, then-topical and current references (Photoplay Magazine, Joan Fontaine, using ether) and even a dash of always funny (if done well) physical comedy, and voila!  You have a hit play.

            In this day and age, though, you have to bring a little more to the table for this to work, and fortunately, for the most part, this production gets well past the early 60's machinations of the dated play, and manages to create a fun evening of theatre, harkening back to the days when going to a Broadway show was like going to the movies.  What is interesting is that while the script is definitely dated and formulaic, it still feels fresh and quaint at the same time.  That is due, in large part, I think, to Brown's deft direction and a cast willing to play into the style of acting required of this period piece - a sort of realistic, but heightened way of delivering lines - telling jokes without sounding like a stand up routine.  Of course, it is not their fault that the script goes on and on setting things up before anything of consequence happens.  This is, after all, a 60's 3-act comedy, so there is no real sense of urgency.  The acting reflects that build up of story and interest.  The entire evening might be better served with a slight adjustment to the opening scene's pacing and blocking.  I only mention this because it is almost as if act one were a separate play here; acts two and three are brisk, and visually and orally a laugh fest. (One wonders why Brown didn't eliminate the second intermission…)  The cast, though, as I said is more than game, and the twinkle in their collective eyes lets everyone know that they are having as much fun doing the play as we should be having watching it.

            In the supporting roles, Ms. Brown couldn't have picked two better actors, both veterans of local stages, and last year's marvelous And Then There Were None - Christina Enoch and Denis L. Latkowski.  Both actors clearly understand the style and delivery required of their roles. Enoch, as the much younger soon-to-be-wife with a silver spoon in her mouth, is as always captivating to watch.  She moves around the set with an elegance required of the character, but with a flare of a gifted comedic actress.  She hurls lines about health foods and other modern fads as if they were little darts, always hitting a bull's-eye.  Her character, Tiffany, is an apt name for Enoch's portrayal.  Men might expect a bubble headed girl with a name like Tiffany, but like the New York landmark shop of the same name, she is 100% class.  Latkowski also understands his role - really just a support of a flimsy plot device - but also as the witty, urbane jokester so popular in comedies of this sort.  And man, can he throw out the witty barb.  He is the master of blistering sarcasm dressed up as a compliment, and his wry delivery lets everyone in the audience know that he, like us, has it all figured out way before the final curtain.  Both actors are especially fun in act three, as pillars of sophisticated strength in a rapidly deteriorating, if not completely predictable situation.

            One part of the love-triangle set up by Jean Kerr, the playwright, is a successful, dashing, if not marvelously talented movie star and former Navy buddy of the main character.  Remember, these were the days when truly great actors were onstage not on screen, and Kerr made sure her audience knew it - even the character admits he makes hit films, not masterpieces.  Steve Avelleyra, in that role, has the dashing part down, circulating about the set like he owns the place with a slight air of self-absorption.  Alas, his line delivery does not always match what is coming out of his mouth.  What is supposed to be witty, urbane and sophisticated (and all of the characters are) comes out rather dull and flat at times, and his timing is uneven.  He has very little chemistry with the lady he is seducing for the bet he has made with his friend.  That said, none of what Avelleyra does is so off the mark that he is a detriment to the production; to the contrary, I suspect with a few performances under his belt, he'll be just fine.

            In Vicki Margolis (last seen in Mobtown's The Goat), Ms. Brown has found an adept actress.  And when you get to act three, it is crystal clear why she was cast as the titular Mary.  In act three, she is charming, funny, loveable and strong.  And oddly, enough, in act three, you can understand why she behaved the way she did in the previous acts.  The role is a difficult one, I'm sure.  You have to make the audience believe that there is a reason for her impending divorce, yet make her not too sympathetic or too unapproachable.  You have to believe that she was wronged, and she has risen above it all, and you have to believe that from the lemons life handed her, she made one hell of a lemonade.  Most of all, you have to believe that she has the charisma and warmth to make men love her, in spite of being very guarded.  Margolis, in retrospect, really accomplishes all of that, but to be honest, during the first two acts, her Mary is a shade too guarded, too angry and much too bitter.  She gives very little, until maybe half-way through act two, in the way of hooks for the audience to grab onto and be on her side.  I'm pretty sure that is not what is intended by the playwright, considering how it ends (I'm not telling, but it's not as pat as you'd expect).  I found myself happy for her soon-to-be-ex-husband that he got rid of her.  Interestingly, this is not a bad way to go for Margolis or the play, though.  It certainly gives an unexpected edge to things, and pays off wonderfully as she has you eating out of the palm of her hand at the final curtain.

            Because of this interpretation, Ms. Margolis' co-star, Roy Hammond, gets the lion's share of the sympathy from the audience.  He is a fine comedic actor, both with the witty, urbane joking and, hilariously in act three, with physical comedy.  It is rare, indeed, to find an actor equally adept at both.  From his first entrance, Hammond comes on like gangbusters, arms flailing to every syllable he speaks, emphasizing his panic, fear and anger.  It is amazing he doesn't become airborne!  That is not to say he overplays; no, to the contrary, he has already honed his performance to be equal parts physical and emotional.  In act three, though, Hammond really comes into his own, commanding the stage and the attention of the audience.  You see, for a funny reason that I will not divulge, his character physically deteriorates, and it becomes a race to see if we can get the plot wrapped up before he is down for the count.  And surprise, surprise, the play actually keeps you guessing until the very, very last minutes!

            And so Sherrionne Brown has assembled a fine cast and has directed them well.  But I mentioned earlier about decorating.  One glance at the technical credits, and you see that Ms. Brown's fingers are in every pie.  It is rare to see a local director take on that much of the production.  I guess she likes to have a say about it all, and so she should.  The results are not only a dramatic feast, but a visual one as well.  When you walk into the Spotlighters theatre space, you are instantly transported back into the sixties in a New York apartment set that literally takes up every available inch.  You could live in it it looks so real.  From the stonework wall treatments to the tiny fireplace, the whole thing reeks of 60's sophistication.  Every detail has been fully looked after - a JFK bust, with his book Profiles in Courage sitting near by in the library, the sleek furniture; heck, even the ashtrays are full! *** This same detail has carried over into the costumes (by Brown and cast, consulted by Jeannie Dalmas) and lighting (designed by Evan McDougal) (which includes practical floor lamps and light switches that actually seem to work).  The setting alone gives you your money's worth.

            But the play is the thing.  Wrap it up in whatever packaging you want, if the show is no good it doesn't matter how it looks.  In this case the packaging only enhances a pretty fun evening of theatre.  You get so happily submerged in the 60's that going back out into the 21^st century night can only be a let down.

*** - Shortly after the review above was posted, I got a very kind email from Ms. Brown.  The epitome of class, she was concerned about contacting a reviewer, which is generally considered bad form.  But, in this case she (and I) felt justified, because I did not give enough credit in one area.  She wrote, "  Roy Hammond has very much to do with how the set looks. We are both set designers and set dressers and have been working together and separately on sets in the Baltimore area for the last five or six years. Before that, Roy had 16 years of experience in Los Angeles. In fact, using JFK on the set was actually his idea. I feel I cannot take the kudos alone for this set and hope you will excuse this breach of etiquette."  Not only do I excuse it, I am thankful for it!  And, thus, Baltimore, another reason to attend Mary, Mary - it is from top to bottom a class act.

 

PHOTOS: TOP: The cast of Mary, Mary; BOTTOM (L to R) Christina Enoch, Roy Hammond and Denis L. Latkowski.  Photos by Amy Jones.

To post a comment, you must register and login.