I love Edward Albee. It might be because when I was growing up, I understood that he was a writer who wrote plays; even though it would be years before I saw his work on stage. I don't remember how or why I saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf and A Delicate Balance at an early age. Even then, I was drawn to Albee's writing style and subjects. The upper-middle class. The dysfunction. The drinking. The drawing-room drama. The words. I remember thinking that it all seemed so glamourous.
A Delicate Balance at Trinity has the elements that originally drew me to Albee. Kevin Moriarity directs the production using a straightforward approach, veering little from what the audience expects from A Delicate Balance; a bit more levity perhaps...but that is a good thing. In casting this production, Moriarity is fortunate enough to have his choice of talented, age-appropriate, actors in Trinity's Company. The set design by Michael McGarty is simple in appearance, with elements of a vague, monied, oriental design throughout. The set and Ron Cesario's costume design are time-period ambiguous; save being in the latter half of the 20th century. The one significant exception is the present-day magazines that are on the coffee table.
Deb Sullivan's lighting design and Peter Sasha Hurowitz's sound design are as they should be: invisible but supportive to the production.
The ensemble cast includes Janice Duclos as Agnes, Tomothy Crow as Tobias,
Anne Scurria as Claire, William Damkohler as Harry, Cynthia Strickland as Edna and
Angela Brazil as Julia.
Crowe and Duclos, as Tobias and Agnes, are at the center of this booze-soaked universe. The action takes place in their home, it affects their world.
One of the first laughs of the evening is when Tobias reacts to the ramblings on of his wife. Crowe's reactions, delayed reactions or non-reactions to the events that swirl around him are as essential to the character development of Tobias as the words on the page. Crowe does a fine job with the character, beginning as soon as the lights go up until almost the very end, at the character's cathartic release. Only then, and unfortunately then, does the acting feel less genuine.
Agnes speaks in asides; mostly in asides, I suppose. The phrasing is strained and hard to convey as natural. Over the course of three acts (two intermissions), the audience and Duclos get more comfortable with it.
The first time I saw the character of Julia, it was in the 1973 movie. (I did not see it in 1973). I initially thought that the character of Julia was being over-acted. In the productions I have seen since then, I usually start out thinking the same thing. I have come to the conclusion that the character overacts, and the actor is just playing the character. There is nothing subtle about the petulant, pouting, pistol-toting Julia. Angel Brazil does a fine job with the role. I really dislike the character, but now I know that disliking the character is the intent.
Anne Scurria plays hard-drinking Claire with relish. As written, Claire is the most likable, most honest of the characters. She is comfortable with who she is, what she has become. I imagine that it is a role that was coveted by more than one actress in the company. I think the Anne was the perfect choice. She could, and nearly does, walk away with the show.
Harry and Edna are the lynch-pins in the progression of the play. There is before Harry and Edna, there is during Harry and Edna and there is after Harry and Edna. As Edna, Stickland plays brittle very well. In this production, though, I think the role was played with a bit too much venom. A woman who can hardly exist one day, tosses bitchy barbs, with intention to wound, the next. Damkoehler plays Harry distantly, with a blank-slate, hold-your-cards to-your-chest look, that makes you think that he has done some very bad things in his life to cause the "terrors".
This is a solid, though not stellar, production of
A Delicate Balance. The joy of seeing Albee done locally should be enough to get you into the theater.
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