co-written by Charles Prior
Adapted from the multi award winning ABC Theatre presentation starring Katharine Hepburn and Sir Lawrence Olivier, Jessica Medlicott (JoBeth Williams), is a former great actress, who, at show’s start, is seen imploring the exceedingly under appreciated (by his account), but stalwart, loyal barrister of the Old Barley, Sir Arthur Granville Jones (Peter Strauss), to take her case of being accused of ‘breach of promise’ by a young, handsome naval officer, Alfred Pratt (CJ Blaine Eldred). She offered to marry him but thought better of it. When the play opens, we are introduced to the ornery, witty, self deprecating, bitter Grannie, as his friends and associates lovingly yet tauntingly call him. He is shocked to see Jessica in his office, since once upon a time, he was a true fan of this icon. He was humbly nonplussed at the thought of Jessica hiring ‘little old me.’ But she quickly waves away that adulation and demands his immediate and undivided attention to the dire matter at hand.
He reluctantly agrees to represent her, assuming she will be a truthful client at all times. As the plot thickens, she reveals that she madly loved her former, very wealthy husband, Giles. She loved him even “better when he was dead,” and that line of dialogue might be one of the few honest testaments that Jessica offers. We discover that when the two of them (Williams and Strauss), were young, Jessica was a member of an acting troupe, passing through the town where he was studying law. He quickly became infatuated and made passionate love to her. This begins one of the multitude of conundrums and ironies that pepper this entertaining, amusing production. In the second act, she seems to have conveniently forgotten that tidbit. At the trial, she proves her diva chops, and when asked her age, she replies, “a lady never reveals her age,” and storms out of the courtroom. Calmly, yet firmly, the judge Philip Tandy (Tony Abatemarco) with gavel by his side, demands ‘order in the court,’ and miraculously contains the sudden upheaval. So, Arthur is left to defend an empty chair, which he eloquently does, in one of the most powerful scenes in this dazzling play. Several dream sequences show the real love that occurred between these two, and perfectly depicts the titular “Love Among the Ruins.” Just as the Phoenix rises from the ashes, love might strive to escape. The playwrights, James Hirsch and Robert Papazian; director, Michael Arabian; as well as set design (Stephen Gifford); costume design (Kate Bergh); lighting design (Jared Sayeg); and sound design ( Bruce Yauger), are all superb. Supporting cast members Tony Abatemarco, as the judge, and Amir Talai, as the ‘wise guy,’ prosecuting attorney John Frances Divine (appropriately named), are stellar. It must be mentioned, that in the program, Michael Arabian’s bio, rather than extol his own impeccable virtues, he relays the importance of the fight for women’s rights, which plays a vital role and definite part in this pithy farce. In 1934, the play’s time period, they had limited freedom. Peter Strauss and JoBeth Williams are extraordinary performers, each in their own right, and make this adaptation shine like a diamond in the coal bin of human drudgery.
Through Nov 5th
Bonnie Priever Curtain Up 