Review: Lopsided Tone in Farcical MY MAN GODFREY at Theatre Schmeater

Something's wrong when a tertiary character with no name upstages your main character. Sometimes it can make a production more memorable, but in Theatre Schmeater's current production of "My Man Godfrey", the nameless mediator embraced the melodrama of the production and went over the top deliciously. This person, Danny Herter, set the bar very high for the level of pomp and circumstance that some of the flighty aristocrats just did not match. Granted, the bulk of the cast did a good job making the characters into caricatures--Sarah Karnes' whiney Irene Bullock; Lantz Wagner as the mooching eccentric, Carlo; and Teri Lazzara's ditzy Angelica Bullock, to name a few (more on that later)--but I wish director Doug Staley pointed to Danny Herter, with his Martin Short as the Mad Hatter voice, and encouraged the less flamboyant members of the cast to peacock a bit more in this tale of scatterbrained socialites.

I'll tell you why. "My Man Godfrey" is an adaptation of the 1939 film of the same name. In it, the wealthy Bullock family finds a man named Godfrey Parke (Eric Smiley) while on a scavenger hunt, scavenging for "forgotten men". After wooing the younger of the two Bullock daughters, Irene, by pushing her older, more perfect sister Cornelia into some bushes (and for being devastatingly handsome), Irene convinces her family to hire Godfrey as their new butler. To elaborate, forgotten man means 'hobo' in this case, but Godfrey is quite sharp, and finds the Bullocks' behavior to be utterly despicable.

For a forgotten man, Godfrey proves to be surprisingly eloquent and sensitive. Things get complicated when his charms create wedges in the household. Godfrey merely looks at a woman, and her knees buckle. This behavior would make more sense if Smiley's portrayal of Godfrey were more charming. At first, Smiley's monotone was quite funny, but it soon got stale and made Irene's agony over him less believable. Smiley stumbled over quite a few of his lines as well, so I do not think the stiffness was a directorial decision. Perhaps it can be chalked-up opening-night jitters, but the blatant tonal difference was distracting.

Madeline Nutting's portrayal of Cornelia Bullock, though mean, did not behave so cruelly that her vengeful actions felt unjustified. Frankly, Cornelia's scorn for Godfrey is legitimate-he pushed her into some ashy bushes and is very insulting to her. Due to her tone, her approach to shame Godfrey read more as childish than manipulative. I want her to be meaner! She was not the clear antagonist.

I was also confused as to why some characters had a high-society, grandiose affectation, while others spoke sans Mid-Atlantic accent. It felt like half of the actors were in a completely different production. This show could use more characterization consistency.

The characters sure do have the look of old money, clad in furs, floor-length gowns and hair curled in tight, sausage ringlets. Julia Evanovich's costume designs were easy on the eyes and looked expensive.

The bulk of the action takes place in one room, designed by director Doug Staley. The furniture looks retro and tasteful, though the tree-branch backdrop felt incongruous with the Manhattan setting. I would think that the window would look out onto more buildings on Fifth Avenue, rather than one giant, leafless tree.

Sarah Karnes' portrayal of the bratty, diluted Irene is a delight. Teri Lazzara brings sauciness to the flighty Angelica Bullock. As her piggish "protégé" Carlo, Lantz Wagner is so dramatic in a really entertaining way. Terrence Boyd's Alexander Bullock was an enjoyable victim of circumstance. But Danny Herter's garish, almost hyperbolic portrayal of the nameless, hoity toity party attendee stole the show. Herter performs for the back row of the nosebleeds.

To the cast of "My Man Godfrey", I say, ham it up! Have more fun! A melodrama needs melodramatic performances throughout, and this farce was a bit lopsided. For fabulous costumes, several splendid performances amidst the show's tonal disparity (and a leading man conspicuously off their game), I give Theatre Schmeater's "My Man Godfrey" a lukewarm 2.5/5 stars. This show could really be the cat's meow if everyone where to get on the same page.

"My Man Godfrey" performs at Theatre Schmeater through February 18, 2017. For tickets and information, visit them online at www.schmeater.org.

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