In Mixed Company's A Delicate Balance at PlayWright's Theatre
(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 1/8/99
(out of )Edward Albee is to American Theatre what Pinter and Stoppard are to the British: A revered wordsmith. His great plays are parlor dramas with a sharper edge and a heightened sense of conflict. While not much actually happens during an Albee play, the raised stakes and cruelly bitter wordplay is just as effective as witnessing a shooting spree. No one dies during an Albee play, at least not physically, but corpses lay strewn through the house after an epic Albee battle: Self images, loving relationships, self deceptions. The only survivor of an Albee massacre tends to be the Truth, a hollow victory.
With A Delicate Balance, one of Albee's Pulitzer
Prize-winning plays, this parlor drama centers on the family and
friends of Agnes and Tobias, an older affluent couple in the Hamptons
who are wryly intelligent, and utterly disconnected with each
other and those around them. Living with them is Agnes' boozy
and blowsy sister, Claire, who loves to stir things up. Returning
to the nest is Julia, a 36 year-old daughter fleeing the wreckage
of her fourth failed marriage. As if this weren't enough to chew
on, an unexpected visit from their best friends, Harry and Edna,
and their unusual request, raises issues about the nature of Love
and Friendship that could potentially condemn contemporary American
mores.
In Mixed Company
has tackled weighty topics before, and so is no stranger to the
heavy and the articulate. Director Scott Balthazor, though,
is primarily known as a comedic actor and director, so this is
new ground for him. His direction does him justice, save for one
choice that throws off the balance of the play: his casting and
directorial choices for the actress playing the crucial part of
Agnes, Joan Steen Silberschlag. The rest of the cast does
in the very least a solid job, and often an exceptional one, at
making Albee's verbose and multi-faceted characters accessible
to an audience, but Ms. Silberschlag is out-of-step with the rest
of the actors. Early on, she races through some of her important-though-dense
monologues, and retains an oddly distant approach at others. This
character is the most difficult of those onstage, so any entrée
for an audience into her cold and measured interior helps tremendously,
but Ms. Silberschlag, and possibly Mr. Balthazor, choose to make
her depths too murky, giving her a stylized performance that does
not mesh with the more realistic and comprehensible presentations
of fellow cast members.
Beyond this, and the sheer heft and complication of the issues
dealt with, the rest of the production is quite effective. Mr.
Balthazor and the remaining cast can be congratulated for this
accomplishment. At first, Steven Mastroieni's hesitant
portrayal of the ineffective Tobias seems too browbeaten, but
his choice is redeemed by his portrayal of a very difficult moment
later in the second act. Barbara McGrath sparkles as the
witty, alcohol-infused sister, Claire. She is so natural and flip
about everything, she sometimes threatens to steal the show, though
manages to always defer when necessary, revealing just how great
her contribution to the show really is. Helen Hayes' portrayal
of the combative, immature daughter Julia is also perfectly measured
and effective.
Wonderfully tentative and hesitant are Paul Benchwick and
Wanda McHatton as the disturbed couple, Harry and Edna.
Their entrance in the middle of the first act marks the rise of
action and the specter of bad tidings, and these performers were
so effective as to infuse an amazing energy into the somewhat
flagging proceedings just before they came onto the scene. When
onstage, they raised the stakes and the emotions perfectly, a
welcome effect.
Resident Scenic Designer Michael Brooks has done a solid
job of creating the rich atmosphere of Agnes and Tobias' living
room, especially the use of a scrim for the walls that helped
to enhance the eavesdropping effect inherent in the play. Unfortunately,
due to the theatres size constraints, the overwhelming size and
emptiness of the setting that helps to define character relationships
was missing. This play is helped by multiple large playing spaces,
and seems a bit cramped on the PlayWright's stage. Dave Vaught's
lighting was also effective, especially his night-to-morning transition
later in the second act. Susan Rubin did a good job of
establishing character through costuming, and Bill Osborne
offered a solid Sound Design.
A Delicate Balance is one of those plays that rarely
gets produced, and that's a shame. This is a challenging play
for director, designers, actors and audience, and the payoff is
rich and worth the investment of two-and-a-half hours. Thanks
go to In Mixed Company
for taking on a difficult task, and having the general success
that they do. While there may be a few slow moments, and a few
odd choices from director and performers, the possibility that
it may be another nine years before this play is again revived
should serve as a kick start for any potential audience members
to take a chance on this production.
Production Details:
A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee
In Mixed Company
PlayWright's Theatre, Phoenix
252-8497
January 7th - January 23rd, 1999