[NEohioPAL] Review of "Ten Chimneys" at Cleveland Play House

[Bob Abelman]

Theater IQ rewarded in CPH production of 'Ten Chimneys'

 

Bob Abelman

 

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times,

The Morning Journal, Geauga Times Courier

Member, American Theatre Critics Association 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 1/27/12

 

Speaking the language is not a requirement for seeing a foreign film at Cinematheque or the Cedar Lee.  However, doing so sure allows you to comprehend the story faster and more fully than those waiting for the subtitles. 

 

The same can be said for Jeffrey Hatcher's Ten Chimneys, Cleveland Play House's inaugural production at its intimate Second Stage in the Allen Theatre complex at PlayhouseSquare.  This cleverly conceived, wittily worded "backstage comedy" is an absolute treat for anyone who appreciates good theater, but there is so much more to be mined for theater aficionados and performing arts insiders.  

 

Ten Chimneys takes place just before and just after World War II at the rural Wisconsin retreat of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne-two of the most talented and revered Broadway stars of their time.  There we find the two actors and cast members Uta Hagen and Sydney Greenstreet rehearsing for an upcoming production of Anton Chekhov's masterpiece The Seagull. They are joined by Lunt's mother, who lives at the estate, and his two adult step-siblings who help run the place while Lunt and Fontanne are in New York or on tour.

 

This play offers a fictional account of very real people who did, in fact, rehearse and entertain at this gorgeous estate and who did, indeed, perform The Seagull in the 1930s.  While the playwright masterfully merges fact with plausible fiction in this wonderful creation, he rewards those who can tell the difference between the two.  

 

A working knowledge of Chekhov allows for the innumerable parallels between The Seagull and Ten Chimneys to become more readily apparent-starting with the opening lines of both plays and continuing on to the desires and dysfunctions of their characters.

 

Some understanding of Lunt and Fontanne's artistic dexterity and devotion provides a greater appreciation for when their fictional selves meticulously dissect and analyze lines and scenes during rehearsal, and explain the science of stage movement, overlapping dialogue, and makeup to their young protégé.  Knowing the Lunts' love of everything to do with the stage sheds light on why we never see them on it in this production.

 

Insight into the personal lives of Lunt and Fontanne lays bare the acting choices made by the performers which, in turn, drive much of the play's very touching drama. 

 

While preferable-even recommended-a high theater IQ is not compulsory, for this new play and the CPH's telling of it are wonderful on their own accord.  No subtitles are provided or are necessary because the acting is so damn good.

 

It takes great actors to play great actors convincingly and, as Lunt and Fontanne, Donald Carrier and Jordan Baker are brilliant. There is not a gesture, a reaction, or a phrasing that does not ring true to how these two famous thespians should sound and move.  They handle the play's drama and comedy with equal aplomb and are mesmerizing during their rapid-fire line-running rehearsals.

 

Emmy award-winning Mariette Hartley as Hattie, Lunt's adoring mother and Fontanne's overbearing mother-in-law, is mesmerizing all the time.  Her comic timing is superb and consistent and, in lesser hands, her character could easily lapse into caricature.  She is a pleasure to watch.

 

So too is Kelli Ruttle as Hagen, the young actress who manipulates her way into the production, into the Ten Chimneys' inner sanctum, and into the arms of Lunt. In fact, there is not a weakness in this cast, for Gail Rastorfer as Lunt's underappreciated half-sister Louise, Jeremy Kendall as Lunt's freeloading but goodhearted half-brother Carl, and Michael McCarty as the larger-than-life actor Greenstreet are all superb.

 

The production elements match the quality of the performances.  Director Michael Bloom's fluid staging takes full advantage of the in-your-face intimacy and in-the-round configuration of the new, flexible performance space.  Although actors' backs are always toward some parts of the audience, it is never for long and no action is ever blocked from view.  David Kay Mickelsen's era-specific costuming is spot-on, and Lee Savage, Michael Lincoln and Lindsay Jones' bucolic scenic, lighting and sound designs, respectively, are a delight.  

 

This production has set the tone (pure), the bar (high), and the expectations (huge) for future CPH productions in this state-of-the-art facility.  

 

Ten Chimneys continues through February 5 in Cleveland Play House's Second Stage at PlayhouseSquare.  For tickets, which range from $49 to $69, call 216-241-6000 or visit www.clevelandplayhouse.com.