BWW Reviews: BLACK TIE at Square One Theatre in Stratford

A.R. Gurney is at his best when his characters are free to wander outside the parameters of their familiar and comfortable enclave. In his funny and moving play, Black Tie, Curtis and Mimi's world is about to change when their son, Teddy, marries someone outside their milieu. Their daughter, Elsie, is the designated messenger of one piece of shocking news after another.

Gurney's play takes place on the eve of Teddy's wedding in a rustic hotel in the Adirondacks. The bathrobes are luxurious, but everything else is rather tacky. Curtis had always planned to wear a dinner jacket. His late father makes frequent appearances in the play to remind him about propriety and to give him terrific tips on his toast. Just as the Ghost in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is visible and audible only to Mrs. Muir, so is late father. Father's appearances are there to explain how things were once upon a time, when young couples were gently vetted by family members, friends and college roommates they had in common. Let's just say that they can relate to Tevye and Goldie. Teddy's fiancée is part African-American, part Vietnamese and part Peruvian and has a Croatian stepfather. Curtis, Mimi and Elsie accept her despite her bad manners. (She complained that Mimi wrote a letter to her mother and step-father on "snooty paper.") However, the news that her ex-husband, a Jewish, gay, self-promoting vulgar stand-up comic, plans to provide the entertainment and cut out most of Curtis's toast during the bridal dinner, is a challenge - big time. What's a parent to do?

What makes this Gurney play so exceptional are the touching vulnerability of parents and the breadth and depth of the humor tossed in so unexpectedly. David Victor's Curtis is traditional, but never starchy. Janet Rathert's Mimi is wise, a bit mischievous and no one's fool. Jim Buffone and Alisson Wood are delightful as Curtis and Mimi's offspring. John Bachelder shines as Father, the paragon of good manners and wit. Al Kulscar's set exactly what we would imagine and gives us a real feel for what Curtis and Mimi will be putting up as long as Teddy's marriage survives. Teddy's household will most likely not include antique furniture, silver, fine china, and engraved stationery. Tom Holehan's direction is graceful and natural. This critic's only complaint is that the play's run is too short.

Black Tie is 90 minutes long and has no interruption. It runs at Square One Theatre Company through June 1 at the Stratford Theatre, 2422 Main Street in Stratford. For more information, call 203-375-8778 or visit www.squareonetheatre.com. Don't miss it.

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