Review - Tricks The Devil Taught Me

There isn't much to say about playwright/director Tony Georges' muddy drama of a dysfunctional East Texas marriage, Tricks The Devil Taught Me, except that what seems like a perfectly capable company of actors and designers have found themselves employed in the service of a play that is simply nowhere near ready to be seen.

The story of how Betty (Beth Grant) became an abrasive foul-mouthed drinker and her husband Don (Peter Bradbury) became a violent, two-bit crook is played out in 15 scenes, a prologue and an interlude which jump around the years spanning 1987 to 2010. Julie Jesneck and T.J. Linnard play younger versions of the couple, with Linnard doubling as their son, Jeremy, whose conception forced their marriage. A slip of paper inserted in the Playbill specifies the years when each scene takes place but the production itself never makes it clear what's happening when.

Issues of adultery, child abandonment, theft, religious intolerance and gunplay make their way into the plot and the twists and turns of the play's final, violent scene are so ludicrous and over-the-top that the audience members I attended with let go with uproarious laughter at each dramatic moment.

Rising above it all is Jodie Lynne McClintock, as Betty's close friend, church soloist Lorraine, giving an understated performance of realistic humor and dignity. Despite her prominent billing, Mary Testa spends no more than about ten minutes on stage in the 2½ hour production, drawing big laughs as a judgmental churchgoer trying her best to appear non-judgmental. While Testa can turn in fine dramatic performances when given the chance, she's more often called upon to utilize her talent for making the most innocuous lines funny with vocal inflections and facial expressions. Given a ridiculous cartoon wig to wear, she delivers what might be called "a Mary Testa performance" by those familiar with her work. It doesn't quite match the tone of the rest of the play, but she's by far the most polished and entertaining part of the evening.

Photos by Carol Rosegg: Top: Jodie Lynne McClintock and Beth Grant.

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