Review: CHARLEY'S AUNT at Hale Centre Theatre

Since The Valley's shutdown in March, theatre audience members, myself included, have tried to consume as much content as possible to recapture the memorable experience of a live show. As many have discovered, there's something to be said about being in an audience. So with cautious double-masking and copious spray sanitizer in tow, I braved the outside world to sit in rapt attention at Hale Centre Theatre's newest addition to their season, Charley's Aunt.

Originally performed at the Theatre Royale, Bury St. Edmunds in February 1892, Charley's Aunt is a Victorian farce. The basic premise of the story begins as two young men, Jack Chesney and Charles (Charley) Wykeham find themselves hopelessly in mad, melodramatic, Victorian love, trying to tell their girlfriends how much they adore them. As luck would have it, Charley's aunt, an heiress whom he has never met, sends a wire telling him that she will be arriving at Oxford for a visit. The two men take this opportunity to ask the women to meet them for lunch. Given that the mores of this time call for no contact between love interests without an escort present, this seems like the perfect opportunity to spend some time with the girls since Charley's aunt will be there as a chaperone. The whole plan goes awry once the aunt, Donna Lucia, wires again to say that she cannot make it after the girls arrive. Since the girls are already present and the men, in their desperation to spend time with them, convince their visiting friend Lord Fancourt Babberley (Babbs) to dress up as Charley's aunt in the interim.

As an overall production, the Hale Centre Theatre never disappoints. Every last detail is beautifully arranged on the set. Brian Daily treats you to a visual masterpiece of vine-covered brick walls and a stone courtyard of low-walled pillars and metal benches reminiscent of a bygone Victorian age while McKenna Carpenter treats every nuanced prop and paint detail to perfection. As a lover of the Victorian age aesthetic, my eyes ran over everything and I honestly felt a little giddy. As the final touch, Joshua Lindblom transported me to aural bliss with his pre-show soundtrack. To say that I was prepared for some magic, was an understatement.

As Jack and Charley, Brandon Caraco, and Ben Emerick navigate the scenes a bit haphazardly, the former taking charge with more cunning, impetuous bravado while the latter plays as inexperienced, reserved, and more thoughtful. As someone who has consumed mass volumes of Victorian text, I felt that some lines between these two particular actors weren't successful, making some elements of conversation confusing or even forced, with emphasis on a few timing missteps. This is more noticeable in the beginning since the job falls to them to further the exposition, but they do improve when they are joined by more experienced members of the cast familiar with this genre.

That being said, when Jeff Deglow joins them playing Babbs, he brings the perfect balance of slapstick comedy and nuanced beats, one-liners, and improvisational ad-libs that will offer up well-deserved belly laughs. (I laughed until I cried with the fan bit!) As Charley's aunt, he delivers a parody of women that is exaggerated while still being true to farce.

Ben Mason, playing Col. Sir Francis Chesney (Jack's father), is as usual riveting. His portrayal is one of finesse and natural refinement that brings gravitas and warmth to this character that is a genuine and perfect foil to Zack Diepstraten's Steven Spettigue. Zack struggles not to appear one-note in his portrayal of Spettigue, but I can appreciate that his performance harkens back to popular Dickensian villain characters that you just love to be uncomfortable around.

As Charley's real aunt, Donna Lucia, Emily Noxon is enchanting. Her character is equal parts charming and devilish, making subtle choices like a head nod, a smile, or a slight raise in her vocal inflection make the audience feel like they are in on every little secret and that she is your best friend. Finishing the cast, the women Kitty Verdun, Amy Spettigue, Ela Delahay played by Kelly Hajek, Amanda Valenzuela, and Ariana Mai Lucius respectively, bring elegance and grace to their roles that show them to be level-headed and grounded, which is quite the contrast typically seen in female roles. Additionally, Brassett, played by Brady Anderson, with his snide delivery shows that even the servants can notice an eye-roll-worthy moment among the upper-class. My only regret is that it was difficult to hear him!

Jere Van Patten, the director, and Mitchell F. Glass, the assistant director, had some wonderfully executed details in this production. Jere always does a superb job playing to his audience so that wherever you are, you are immersed in his world, and this is no exception. Also, as mentioned before, I enjoyed the treatment of the women as the ones driving the story and ultimately with all the control. Being quite dated, however, this material needs to be presented clearly from the outset to set up the jokes for the audience later. Initially, there was a focus on trying to convey the sense of being over-the-top too soon rather than developing the storyline and building toward that later with the errors, mistaken identity, and the chaos that ensues. By relying on that early on, many jokes that happened later were missed and as a result, some scenes seemed to drag. That being said, there are many laughable moments that, being away from the theater for so long, makes you appreciate it that much more.

Speaking of appreciation, the beauty and vibrancy by the remainder of the production crew are absolutely stupendous. The elaborate costume design by Tia Hawkes, and hair and makeup by Cambrian James, are everything that you could hope for in a period piece and more. It is stunning and jaw-dropping. Even the landscapes that lit up the walls from Tim Dietlein proved the lovely icing on the production cake.

As modern audience members, we are far removed from the language, customs, and thoughts of Victorian times. With a farce comedy from over 100 years ago, however, Hale Center Theater manages to achieve success with this play and others like it, because it plays to their strengths. They can present a play with a degree of whimsey, art, and fancy when we need it most, whether we realize it or not, and make that pointed reference that family, friends, and love will allow us to persevere in times that seem most dire.

Hale Centre Theatre is playing Charley's Aunt until March 27, 2021. It is double cast and there are still tickets available for future performances! Find the tickets and schedules here.

Hale Center Theatre has implemented COVID-19 safety guidelines for all performances as directed by city, state, and federal guidelines. Masks are required by audience members for every performance. View the full set of guidelines here.

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