BWW Reviews: Tennessee Women's Theater Project's compelling TRYING gives a fresh take on history

In so many ways, Trying - Joanna McClellan Glass' richly drawn portrait of the relationship between a patrician American jurist and his Canadian prairie-born secretary - is full of surprising moments, the various and disparate elements of fine drama woven together beautifully to tell a genuinely moving story. Who could have ever guessed that a two-person play, steeped in history though it may be, could prove so compellingly and resolutely fascinating?

Now onstage at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre (how appropriate is it that the play is mounted in a venue named for a renowned Nashville civil rights lawyer?) in a sparkling new production starring Fred Mullen and Keri Pisapia and directed by Maryanna Clarke for Tennessee Women's Theater Project, Trying enlightens and illuminates as Glass' story unfolds before you, drawing you in with its gentle humor and in the clever way in which life-changing historical events are interpolated into the personal tale of its two characters at the heart of the story.

Clarke's direction of her two actors makes for a consistently appealing production, her expert pacing moving the action along with a graceful ease. At the final curtain, you are likely to find yourself surprised that you've been in the theater far longer than you might think, so engaging are the actors and so thought-provoking is the play itself.

At the center of this play are two very different characters: former U.S. Attorney General Francis Biddle and Sarah Schorr, an enterprising young woman recently relocated to Washington, D.C., who comes aboard at the behest of Biddle's wife to assist the enigmatic force of nature in getting his affairs in order to preserve his legacy for future generations. It is at once a highly personalized account of the bristling attitude of Biddle toward his much-younger - and, therefore, "modern" - secretary, and the intriguing view into the life of a uniquely American figure as told by the young woman (the play is autobiographical since Glass worked for Biddle during the same time frame that is portrayed in the skillfully written script) charged with organizing his final days on this earth.

Biddle, the scion of a Mainline Philadelphia family (his great-great grandfather William Biddle bought "43,000 acres of land that became New Jersey" from William Penn, he was educated at Groton and, ultimately, he scandalized Philadelphia society when, in the 1930s, he changed his political affiliation to the Democratic Party when he realized the horrid conditions endured by Pennsylvania mineworkers), was solicitor general of the United States prior to his appointment by Franklin Delano Roosevelt as his attorney general from 1941-1945 and served as the chief American judge at the Nuremburg tribunal that convictEd Hermann Goering and Rudolph Hess among others. As a historical figure, Biddle's life is filled with the contradictions that exemplify such individuals: While he was a champion of the poor and downtrodden, he was also responsible for ordering the FBI to gather up Asian-Americans and intern them in camps during World War II, about which he later wrote, "Never again will I trust that mystic cliché 'military necessity.'"

Sarah, the 25-year-old onstage personification of the playwright herself, has dreams of becoming a serious writer, but perhaps acquiescing to the realities of life in 1967, she has agreed to ignore the older man's cantankerous ways, so that she might persevere in her job, thus ensuring Biddle's final days are organized and productive.

By contrasting the figures of Francis Biddle and Sarah Schorr - thereby giving audiences a "fly on the wall" perspective to their professional (only very sporadically do we see glimpses of the personal between them) relationship, Glass creates a play that is both informative and entertaining. In so doing, she doesn't beat you over the head with cheap theatrics or any overt didacticism, but her play, nonetheless, packs an emotional wallop.

Glass' script is rather poetically written, as she spins her tale elegantly with the spare use of language adding to its lyrical pacing.  Clarke directs the piece with her usual sharp focus, assuredly bringing the story to the stage and trusting her two exceptional actors to bring the story to life with a deft blending of heart and a certain level of detachment.

Fred Mullen, cast as Biddle, certainly has the showiest role of the two and he is given the opportunity to show off his talent with a performance that is perfectly modulated and thoroughly believable. He approaches Biddle with respect, allowing the man's fading bravado to be witnessed, yet he underscores it with a very real sense of noblesse oblige which allows the audience to see the whole man, rather than just a stereotypically upper crust Easterner amid the crumbling structure of his society.

Mullen captures Biddle's ennui as he realizes the end of his life is approaching, but he never become over-sentimental - Glass deserves credit for walking that fine line so well throughout her script, making her audience care while never relying on overly sentimentalized mawkishness for effect, and Clarke should be credited for never allowing her actors to become manipulative.

While the remarkable life of Biddle provides much of the play's dramatic fodder, Glass writes the role of Sarah with amazing restraint, remaining steadfastly true to herself in so doing. But, clearly, Sarah is no supporting character in this two-person tale; rather, she is as vibrant and as vital to the story as is Biddle, her no-nonsense approach to life providing the requisite conflict to the piece. Played with enormous charm and grit by Keri Pisapia, Sarah becomes the avatar for the audience as the story is played out onstage, as she reacts to Biddle with humor and humanity.

Pisapia's performance is eloquently understated and perfectly on-target. Her facial expressions are priceless as she reacts silently to Mullen's histrionics as Biddle, her very carriage capturing the mood of each scene and her command of the language written by Glass is exquisitely delivered.

Kristin James' set design provides an ideal backdrop for the play, while Jeannine LaBate's costume design has the necessary period feel to transport the actors to the late 1960s without being trite.

Trying. By Joanna McClelland Glass. Directed by Maryanna Clarke. Presented by Tennessee Women's Theater Project. At Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, Nashville. Through October 16. For details, visit the website at www.twtp.org; for reservations, call (615) 681-7220. 

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