'Trying:' How to Succeed in Aging

Trying

Written by Joanna McClelland Glass, Directed by Eric C. Engel, Set Design by Jenna McFarland Lord, Costume Design by Molly Trainer, Lighting Design by Russ Swift, Composer/Sound Design by Dewey Dellay; Production Stage Manager, Jayscott Crosley

Featuring: Richard Mawe, Judge Francis Biddle; Becky Webber, Sarah Schorr

Performances through August 8 at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA; Box Office 978-281-4433 or www.gloucesterstage.org

Intelligent writing, fully-realized character portrayals, and impeccable direction distinguish the Gloucester Stage Company production of Trying by Joanna McClelland Glass in a limited run through August 8th. Based on the playwright's own experience, it tells the story of Sarah Schorr, an earnest and gritty young woman from the plains of Saskatchewan, who is the latest in a long line of secretaries to work for crusty octogenarian Francis Biddle, Attorney General under Franklin D. Roosevelt and the primary American judge at the Nuremberg Trials, as he dictates his memoir and faces his waning days in Georgetown, Washington, DC.

Artistic Director Eric C. Engel, Richard Mawe, and Becky Webber are a theatrical divine trinity in this seamless creation. As their characters travel divergent paths, one toward and the other away from the prime of life, Mawe and Webber dance a graceful pas de deux in their evocation of these passages and the developing relationship between Biddle and Schorr.  Although some aspects of the play and their rapport are predictable, the quality of the connection between the two actors renders it pardonable. Their symbiosis is so strong that, in the rare moments when only one is onstage, the aura of the other lingers in the room.

Compromised as he is by age and infirmity even at the start of the play in November, 1967, the eighty-one year old Biddle is a lion quick to roar and unwilling to relinquish his tight grasp on the dwindling number of things he can control. He alone can adjust the pair of electric heaters and sign checks, and he rebuffs the young woman's offer to rub Bengay on his arthritic hands.  Sarah is twenty-five years old, an aspiring writer, and, in her own words, "a bugger for work." They butt heads over menial tasks and overstep each others' boundaries, causing the judge to conclude that their partnership is likely to be trying. While that point is abundantly clear and illustrated in numerous ways, the tide begins to turn and the edges soften when they agree to try harder to make things work.

Mawe turns in a performance worthy of master class billing. Each entrance is preceded by thumping sounds on the unseen staircase as Biddle hauls himself up to the office. Mawe limps and is slightly hunched over, his breathing is labored, and he holds his hands in claw like positions to mimic arthritic damage. As the scenes progress across a period of six months, his face displays greater fatigue and pain, informing us that Biddle is deteriorating both physically and mentally. Even as Mawe commands the stage, Webber quietly holds her own, gradually letting her light shine more brightly in the same way that Sarah does on the job, and comfortably shifting back and forth between the brassy and respectful sides of the secretary. She digs deep to find Sarah's inner strength necessary to absorb the verbal blows that Biddle lands in bunches. When she finally lets him have it right between the eyes, Webber shows the remorse of one who can't believe what she just said, and Mawe shrinks a little bit more as the power visibly shifts between them. Even as Trying is a story about the emotional intimacy between Biddle and Schorr, it is also a more generalized study of an aging man as he adapts to the losses along the way and the awakening awareness of the young woman who bears witness to his final journey.

Glass employs the unseen character of Mrs. Biddle as a device to flesh out the story. Her frequent telephone conversations with both the judge and Sarah serve as a bridge to connect bits and pieces of their daily lives and tie up loose threads. As Biddle dictates letters and his memoir to Sarah, his personal history and regrets are revealed, touching a chord in her and in us. Although born and raised a Republican, Biddle was moved by his observations and experiences during the Depression to become a Democrat as he learned the costs of ignoring poverty. To her pleasant surprise, Sarah discovers that they share a love and knowledge of poetry and often trade verses with each other, sometimes only moments before he accuses her of being the most trying individual he's ever known. Glass's dialogue rings true with every turn of events. Through it all, Sarah maintains a professional demeanor and a no-nonsense drive to get the job done, Biddle's lapses and distractions notwithstanding.

The thrust stage is painstakingly decorated with great detail by Jenna McFarland Lord, GSC's resident set designer. Biddle's cluttered office above the garage is anchored by an executive desk awash in papers and, in the rear wall, an atrium window through which the subtly changing sky and seasons can be seen. Lined with tall filing cabinets, overloaded bookshelves, and memorabilia from his long, prominent career, the work place reflects both the achievements and the industrious nature of its occupant, in spite of a cot strategically placed off to one side.

Costume Designer Molly Trainer's 60s fashions are spot on. She dresses Webber in a series of straight dresses with authentic accessories, including a circle pin, headbands, and an A-line coat.   The patrician judge always wears a necktie and a sport jacket or cardigan sweater with suede elbow patches indoors, and a topcoat and a fedora against the elements. Each of the two acts is divided into three scenes, separated by musical interludes and fades to black. Russ Swift is GSC's resident lighting designer and Dewey Dellay is the composer and handles sound. The design elements of the show are flawless, including the oft-ringing phone and the playback on the newfangled Dictaphone machine that Judge Biddle is loath to use.

The play runs nearly two and a half hours, but it is enthralling. Although there are only two roles, Biddle and Sarah are compelling characters and there is much to admire in each of them. It is also great fun to watch them make that discovery about each other, especially after their initial assessments. They also discover that life is all about the journey and, no matter how long the road, one must keep trying.   

Photo Credit: Eric Levenson (Becky Webber, Richard Mawe)

 

 

 

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