Steadstyle Chicago
June 2009 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
A Minister's Wife
By George, "A Minister's Wife" is a far cry from "My Fair Lady". In this World Premiere musical developed and produced by Writers Theatre, that is both a virtue and a drawback. There is obviously something deliciously musical in those passionate plays of ideas by the great George Bernard Shaw that have inspired such wildly diverse treatments from different generations of theatre artists.
In the classic "My Fair Lady," Lerner and Loewe took Shaw's satire of the British class system and turned it into one of the finest and best loved traditional book musicals of all time. Anyone who remembers the wildly unconventional "The Adding Machine" knows that Composer Josh Schmidt is no traditionalist. While his earlier work was a great critical and commercial success, I found the dissonant, atonal score a liability. And while his score for "A Minister's Wife" is at least less cloying to the ear, this modern chamber operetta is perhaps better suited to lovers of high art than popular appeal.
This is a bold, if not entirely successful attempt to make Shaw's "Candida" sing. Writers' handsome production is not without its charms, particularly in the spectacular company of such A-list Chicago artists as Kevin Gudahl, Kate Fry and John Sanders. The notion of turning Shaw's early drawing room romantic comedy into a musical (or more accurately an operetta) may have been a bit foolhardy, but then even Lerner and Loewe had their doubters. As in the original play "Candida," we have a love triangle, a love quintet in fact here. Adaptor Austin Pendleton has done away with one peripheral character, lessening the political overtones and heightening the romantic portrait of requited and unrequited love.
The major points of the triangle are the Reverend James Morell, a fiery Socialist orator, his lovely and virtuous wife Candida, and the young poet Eugene Marchbanks, who worships her. In his opening song, Morell reveals his intentions are no less than to change the world. His is not a God of the sky, but a kingdom of heaven on earth ruled by the most divine ideals of love and kindness towards all mankind. Morell claims that his greatest treasure on earth is his wife, the 30-something Candida. It would seem that theirs is a happy domestic partnership, but can it weather the passionate storms of the impetuous young poet Marchbanks, who has staked his own claim on Candida's heart?
Morell is highly loved by all, and Candida feels it unfair that he should be lavished with so much affection with nothing left for the brash, foolish young boy so smitten with her. Morell's talent for finding words of "divine truth" is to Marchbanks little more than the gift of gab. "Love unspoken is love unearned," he declares. To that point we have Morrell's devoted secretary Prosperine Garnett, who harbors her own secret adoration for the charismatic rector, and the stalwart curate Reverend Alexander Mill, who follows in Morrell's footsteps. Will "Prospy" overcome her inherent shyness, and will Candida set aside her goodness and purity to follow the excitement of youth, or the comforts of marriage? Passion, repression and a clash of words and ideas spark as we watch this all-out match for the victory of the heart.
It is no small delight to see the re-teaming of Kevin Gudahl and Kate Fry, so memorable in Court Theatre's acclaimed and stripped-down revision of "My Fair Lady," here tackling a different Shavian dilemma. These actors are as accomplished vocally as they are in plumbing the depths of their characters. Liz Baltes is superb as the plain Jane secretary with a secret, and the dashing John Sanders is excellent as the clerical clone. As Marchbanks, Alan Schmuckler's golden tenor voice is a treat to the ear, even if Candida's attraction to him comes across as a mother's affection for a spoiled child.
All four of these first-rate performers are to be commended for negotiating the extremely challenging score. Director Michael Halberstam certainly knows his way with Shaw, and his clean compact production does the Irish playwright proud. The sung dialogue known as "recitative" often grows tiresome, though and none of the so-called "songs" really stand out. "A Minister's Wife" is an intimate arty piece that at least attempts to forge a new way on a path littered with old chestnuts. So even though Shaw bests Schmidt, the battle is at least worth fighting.
"A Minister's Wife" plays through August 9, 2009 at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe. The show runs 95 minutes without intermission. Performances are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 .m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 4:00 and 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 and 6:00 p.m. There are Wednesday matinees on June 24 and July 15 and no performances July 3, 4, and 9, and no 6:00 performance on June 28 or July 19. Tickets are $40-$65. Call (847) 242-6000 or visit www.writerstheatre.org.
About Joe Stead
Joe
Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has
involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for
the past twenty-five years. He served as founder, producer and
Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland
and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida. Favorite productions
have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap,"
"The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker,"
"Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie
Brown" and "Godspell". He has also performed
leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin,"
"The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and
most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for
Waukegan Community Players. Joe holds a degree in Commercial
Art from Tampa Technical Institute. As a critic, he has
reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major
regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey,
Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in
Sarasota, Florida.
Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America. He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers. He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene. Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays. His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).
Second Thoughts by Alan Bresloff
The genius of George Bernard Shaw's "Candida" being turned into a musical is not a new concept. We all know the success of "Pygmalion" becoming "My Fair Lady", but seeing this done as a chamber piece with five talented actors makes this a very special treat. It is now called "The Minister's Wife," a story about a minister, the Reverend James Morell (played to perfection by Kevin Gudahl, one of Chicago's finest talents) and his wife, Candida (Kate Fry, as delightful as ever) and their relationship. The magic that these two actors had years ago in a small version of "My Fair Lady" is still there and watching them on any stage is pure magic.
They truly feel that they are happily married. He of course is busy trying to preach his word and the word of the Lord to anyone who will listen; she is devoted to their children and their home. Each loves the other in their own way, but when a young poet comes into their lives, he feels that she must be taken away from what he sees as a miserable existence as he himself falls in love with her. The young poet, Eugene is played by Alan Schmuckler with just the right youthful romantic touch. He is obvious in his every movement and forces the Minister and his wife to re-examine the love and life they share.
The other two characters in this adaptation by Austin Pendleton are Morell's secretary, Ms. Prosperine Garnett (a comical portrayal by Liz Baltes) who it turns out is in love with the Minister herself, and the Reverend Alexander Mill (John Sanders) who wants nothing more than to be the Reverend James Morell. In the end, these two find each other and all of the characters discover the secrets that are within them. This is an hour and thirty five minutes with no intermission of pure chamber theater magic with delightful songs written by Composer Josh Schmidt and Lyricis Jan Tranen. The songs have the sound and feeling of Sondheim, which in my opinion is more magic.
Michael Halberstam, who conceived the idea to do this project directs with a special flair, in some cases, almost as a choreographer would move a dancer about the stage. Each detail of the movement is coordinated with lighting by Keith Parham on a wonderful set by Brian Sidney Bembridge. The room truly makes you feel that you are in an office/sitting room with no detail spared. This work is truly an inspired one that shows the desire of those involved to make a theatrical experience for the audience in the very intimate Writer's Theatre in Glencoe. I also applaud the musical director Richard Carsey and his musicians Paul Ghica, Pasquale Laurino and Jennifer Woodrum who make wonderful music yet still allow the audience to hear every word of every song.
While the songs are not ones that you will hum on the way out of the theater or ever hear again, they are important to the telling of Shaw's story and the story is what it is all about. This is a sensual play about relationships and marriage. Some of the relationships are supposed or imagined. Jealousy also enters into the mix of things as Candida says to her husband that it appears all the women of his flock are in love with him and she knows a lot more than he thinks she does. This one is well worth the trip to Glencoe. The theater is located at 325 Tudor Court, just west of Green Bay Rd and just south of Dundee Rd. There is a charming little downtown area with several places to dine and there is plenty of street parking (no meters in Glencoe). This is a small, intimate theater, so do not put off ordering tickets for your chance to have a special evening of theater.