Playwright Arthur Miller is a world traveler familiar with socialist states. His early fame gave him entrée into many countries others dared not go. He spent extended amounts of time in Russia, China, and Czechoslovakia. His fame and nationality may well have brought him in direct conflict with the governments of those states. There's little doubt that when he discusses the paranoia of the writer in his 1977 script The Archbishop's Ceiling, he's speaking with authority. It's quite possible he's been bugged on occasion. Actors Theatre' of Phoenix' Matthew Wiener is a director with a very distinctive style, one that may not initially seem to fit with this offering. However, Mr. Weiner manages this time to tone down his proclivity to inject artiness into a piece, avoiding staginess and minimalism in what is one of his most balanced offerings to date. The play that Miller offers is full of lush images and covert language. Mr. Weiner has tapped into these textual suggestions, and offers a great production of this talkative and intriguing script.
Adrian, a rich, famous, and somewhat naïve American novelist/journalist is visiting the stunning apartment of a former Archbishop in the capital of an unnamed socialist capital in central Europe. These plush digs are now the home of Marcus, a world-famous author, and a haunt of many great writers who visit. He is meeting with Marcus' former girlfriend Maya, a former playwright turned journalist, to discuss the novel about this country that he has been writing. Marcus unexpectedly returns with a beautiful Nordic woman on his arm, and brilliant dissident writer Sigmund in tow. A power struggle ensues, as the three writers try to convince Sigmund to accept exile, rather than face trial for his inflammatory writings. All of this takes place under the watchful, judging eyes of beautifully gilded angels, where the government may or may not have planted electronic listening devices.
While the tension of this script is palpable, and the twists many, it could easily fall into tedium without finesse. Thankfully, Mr. Weiner and his performers never allow this to happen. The pacing is clipped, yet never rushed. The intrigue is played almost off-handedly. Very little is forced, and that's as it should be.
The strongest of a powerful cast is Mark De Michele as the gruff Sigmund. He plays the part with so little artifice, and so much pigheaded arrogance, he draws sympathy with ease. Debra K. Stevens' Maya is a great mix of flirtatious and earth-mother. Kim Bennet's potentially duplicitous Marcus is always aloof, and he plays it so that it is constantly difficult to tell where his allegiances lie. Natalie Messersmith does what she can with the thankless role of Irina, a character seemingly existing to represent the neutral countries between US and USSR, but more useful for an occasional laugh about her inability to speak English. The only slight disappointment of the evening is the performance of Joël Maurice, who plays Adrian with a forced innocence. He is almost too animated, too chipper, and comes off as façadal in the process, a contrast to the others around him.
Jeff Thomson's scenic design and Paul A. Black's lighting design are exemplary. The balance of the lush living room with brilliant statuary and many sources of light for the main space and the generic, utilitarian hallway with basic and harsh overhead lighting is perfectly created. The imposing gold statues are impressively handled. Constance Furr-Soloman's implied 1970s costumes are very good, as are Cat Dragon's meticulous properties.
There is so much that Miller takes on in this script. While the intrigue seems mishandled, the many other themes make up for this. There are a lot of interesting questions about the arts, government, and allegiances touched upon here, and the result is a great production of a slightly flawed script.
Production Details:
The Archbishop's Ceiling by
Arthur Miller
Actors Theatre of Phoenix
The Herberger Theatre Stage West, Phoenix (For a map to location, click this
link)
(602) 252-8497
March 9th - 25th, 2001