BWW Reviews: Public Theatre Revives Gurney's COCKTAIL HOUR

Lewiston's Public Theatre opened its 2014-2015 season with the excellent choice of A.R. Gurney's comedy of manners, The Cocktail Hour. Assembling a fine, experienced cast and creating a tasteful production, this performance reminds us of what an American treasure Gurney is as a playwright.

The 1988 comedy is a mordent, bittersweet look at generational conflict and a fading WASP ascendancy. Its protagonist, John, is a playwright not unlike Gurney himself, who is desperately trying to come to terms with the values and legacy of his upper middle class upbringing. This drama-within-a-drama plays itself out during the ritual of the cocktail hour, where John, his parents, and his sister Nina open old wounds and probe long-kept secrets under the haze of alcohol and acerbic wit.

Gurney's ability to bring to life these characters he knows so well with a blend of sympathy and excoriation and his ear for note-perfect dialogue and trenchant one liners gives the play its punch and its pathos.

The problem in the Public's production, however, is one of tone and direction. There is no question that humor is Gurney's weapon of choice or that the play is peppered with a pretty steady stream of laughs especially in the first act, but this humor needs a far more subtle touch than it is given here. Janet Mitchko's pace is relentless in the first act and proceeds by fits and starts in the second, so much so that there is barely any time to savor the pregnant pauses or feel the pain behind the characters' cynical wit.

Given the limitations of this extroverted driving style, the four-person cast of skilled veterans does an admirable job bringing their characters to life. Kyle Knauf as John conveys the son's claustrophobia and conflict. And he manages to find moments of naked honesty in the second act. Beth Hylton as Nina strikes the most natural tone of the foursome, giving us a touching portrait of a woman whose entire life has been lived according to convention and who yearns for the instinctive freedom and emotion she experiences only when working with animals. Ellen Crawford makes a perfect WASP wife and mother; so well has she memorized the script that she delivers her part as if she actually believes some of the platitudes she utters. Mike Genovese as Bradley gets off to a little bit of a blustery start, leaning too hard on the character's bombast, though he ultimately finds the rhythm and sensitivity to deepen the dimension in the second act.

Jennifer B. Madigan creates an attractive unit set, tastefully appointed in wine-dark hues and decorous furniture. Bart Garvey's lighting design subtly marks the quiet transitions of time in the play, and Joan Mather strikes the right visual note with the sedate, character-defining costumes.

The Public Theatre is to be commended for this revival of one of the twentieth century's most notable playwrights.

Photos courtesy Public Theatre

The Cocktail Hour runs from October 17- 26, 2014 at The Public Theatre, 31 Maple St., Lewiston, ME www.thepublictheatre.org 207-782-3200

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