Algonquin Theater Company's Dear Liar at Theater Works Black Box
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 7/9/00
(out of )It is difficult for a reviewer to critique a show centering on a subject that interests them, as they become unsure how much their reaction is to the subject matter as opposed to the production. I have run into one of those scenarios this evening with the fledgling Algonquin Theater Company's production of Jerome Kilty's two-person play Dear Liar. Being an ardent student and admirer of George Bernard Shaw, and having enjoyed the material that is central to this work, his love letters with the great Victorian/Edwardian actress, Mrs. Patrick Campbell, I already have a bias that guarantees my enjoying this production. Beyond that, though, it is supported by two wonderful actors, and well directed by Robyn Allen, who does as much as she can to take this seriously talky script beyond the traps of a correspondence-based play. This gives the evening an edge that I believe brings it a notch above the ordinary. Of course, if you've never sat on the edge of your seat during a production of Shaw, your opinion may differ.
From initial flirtatious inquiry through passions, theatrical collaborations, wars, and personal battles, Irish playwright G.B. Shaw carried on an unsubtle extramarital affair with British actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell. Both were strong-willed, separately married, and desperately taken with each other, even when arguments occurred over the publication of the many letters that continued to be exchanged long after the initial passion of their early relationship. In this play, actors Jacqueline Gaston and Charles Sohn allow the audience to watch them take on the personas of this prickly duo, and proceed to believably age the 40 years of their love affair.
It is more the work of actors and director that make this evening succeed as well as it does. The script, while propelled forward by the cunning words of the cantankerous Shaw, and the crafty repartee of Campbell, does not have enough action within to fully keep a viewer's attention. This is a word play, requiring extraordinary attention from audience members to keep up with the verbal sparring. Ms. Allen's extensive use of movement by the characters sometimes saves the script from itself. Also helpful is her inclusion of a small scrim in Ron Hunting's impressive-for-scale set that acts as a slideshow screen of photographs and engraved images that keep the audience aware of time and locale.
In performance, Ms. Gaston and Mr. Sohn are exemplary. Ms. Gaston's initial coy sexiness makes Mr. Sohn's youthful follies completely understandable. She creates a Campbell with whom it is easy to fall in love. Watching her age from her flirty-thirties to feeble seventies is quite impressive. Mr. Sohn works quite a bit of magic of his own by showing the many moods of Shaw. He presents the clever, ornery, mischievous, depressed, and righteous facets of this man equally well. His aging process is even more amazing, as he moves from youthful forties to decrepit eighties. These two actors click together to bring to life a tempestuous relationship, and their stage chemistry is what works best of all.
Mr. Hunting has done a solid job of transforming the Theater Works rehearsal space into a good performance space, while Scott Campbell and Margret Emerson give solid offerings in lighting and costume respectively.
If you go to the Algonquin's initial offering, come prepared to concentrate on this verbal tennis match. While it takes work to keep up, the cleverness and deep emotional bonding of both characters and performers make this a worthy effort.
Production Details:
Dear Liar
by Jerome Kilty
Algonquin Theater Company
Theater Works Black Box, Peoria
(623) 486-8313
July 7th - 23rd, 2000