Review: Mad Cow's PHILADELPHIA STORY is a Joyful Classic Comedy

I have to admit, I have a significant gap in my pop culture knowledge. I have never seen the movie version of Philip Barry's play THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, which starred Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart, and garnered six Academy Award nominations in 1940. While I have seen a stage production of Cole Porter's musical adaptation, HIGH SOCIETY (which was also a 1956 film), it wasn't until I saw Mad Cow Theatre's production of the original play (running through April 19th) that I truly appreciated the charming wit and sophistication of this classic high comedy. Under the direction of Aradhana Tiwari, Mad Cow's cast is an exceptionally talented group that will bring a smile to your heart, and just might bring a sentimental tear to your eye. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY is the most enjoyable production I have seen on Mad Cow's mainstage.

Set in the upper-crust suburbs of Philadelphia in the summer of 1940, the story takes place on the eve of Tracy Lord's second wedding. After a short, tumultuous marriage to C.K. Dexter Haven (Brian Brightman), Tracy is now engaged to George Kittredge (Scott Edwin Leake). While Dexter is a silver-spoon playboy who enjoys sailing and more than the occasional cocktail, George is a salt-of-the-earth industrialist who has worked his way up from the coal mines to the boardroom.

When you add in Dinah (Kennedy Joy Foristall), the Lord family's mischievous younger sister; the loveable, skirt- chasing Uncle Willie (Brian Chambers); and a pair of undercover reporters (Robert Johnston and Becky Eck) allowed to attend the wedding in an effort to protect the Lord's philandering father, you have all the makings of a classic Pre-WWII comedy.

As Tracy, Piper Rae Patterson is a delightful blend of innocence and sass, playing with, and trading, on the stereotypes of the Northeast elite debutante. Patterson, a Mad Cow regular despite living in New York City, is the perfect choice for the role. She embodies the intelligence, humor, beauty, and insecurity that makes Tracy such a compelling character. While I wish Patterson all the success that she deserves in New York, it would be nice to have her back on the Orlando stage full-time.

Throughout the course of the show, Tracy must decide which of three men she truly loves; Dexter, George, or Mike Connor, a serious writer moonlighting as a reporter to pay the bills. The men in these roles create unique, entertaining characters, all for very different reasons; which makes Tracy's choice between them well defined, but increasingly difficult. As Dexter, Brightman is suave and seemingly carefree. Leake's George is uptight, but well-meaning, and Johnston's Mike is earnest and driven. While all three men are fantastic, Johnston stands out. His fire and workman's restlessness makes him stand out from the more laid-back elite by which he is surrounded. This makes the burgeoning relationship between Mike and Tracy extremely dynamic to watch.

While those familiar with the film, or this era of comedies, won't be surprised by Tracy's ultimate decision, how Barry gets these characters there is a light-hearted breath of fresh air. In an era in theatre where so much is about salacious drama and acerbic comebacks, it is refreshing to watch a quickly paced play in which characters are nearly universally likeable, warts and all.

Much of the credit for that breezy feel goes to Barry's script and Tiwari's direction. While some of the story is a bit convoluted (as comedies from this time period were wont to be), it is always smart and entertaining. Often works that are three-quarters of a century old don't translate to an audience's modern sensibilities, by Tiwari and her cast made the show's humor and drama feel both modern and nostalgic.

Though her role isn't one that drives much of the action, Eck's performance as Liz Embrie, an artist slumming it as a photojournalist, is one of the most enjoyable in the show. Her dry humor and assured self-possession make it difficult to not be drawn to her whenever she is onstage.

The cast (which also included Leslie Penuel and Tommy Keesling as Tracy's parents, Kevin Zepf as her older brother Sandy, and John Hamilton Rice, Rachel Whittington, and Garrett Jurss as the Lord family staff) is exceptionally strong. Though there are times when I wish that their traditional Philadelphia accents weren't applied so thickly, there is very little to complain about from this production.

William Elliott's scenic design and the period dress by Costume Coordinator Danielle Paccione add important nuances to create the world in which the Lords lived.

I nearly always enjoy myself while sitting in a theatre, but very rarely do I see a show as joyful as Mad Cow's THE PHILADELPHIA STORY; and I might have shed a tear or two when Tracy finally stopped fighting her own happiness. Don't miss your chance to see this classic comedy produced by some of Central Florida's best theatre artists. Get your tickets by visiting their website or by calling their box office at 407-297-8788.

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Did you attend the latest Lord nuptuals? Let me know what you thought of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY in the comments below, or by "Liking" and following BWW Orlando on Facebook and Twitter using the buttons below. You can also chat with me about the show on Twitter @BWWMatt.

Photo Credit:
1) Robert Johnston, Piper Rae Patterson, and Becky Eck | Mad Cow Theatre
2) Robert Johnston, Becky Eck, and Kennedy Joy Foristall | Mad Cow Theatre
3) Piper Rae Patterson and Brian Brightman | Mad Cow Theatre

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