Playwright A.R. Gurney chronicles what he calls a vanishing species, the white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant ruling class in the Northeast. Some Gurney plays, such as "The Cocktail Hour," that are drawn from his WASP experience create vivid character portraits and absorbing drama out of ordinary situations. He is also able to potently blend farce and fantasy, such as in "Sylvia."
But his white-bread characters just as frequently are bland, and he increasingly relies on stunts designed to make his plays attractive to small theater companies, such as having actors play multiple roles. The popular "Love Letters," though well written, needs only two actors, who aren't required to memorize a script, and a card table.
G. Frances Huenemann, seated, with, from left, Greg Christopher, Dan Lavanga and James Ginther in Springfield Community Theatre's production of "The Dining Room."
(Pamela Mckinley)
|
|
Springfield Community Theatre, which succeeded with "Sylvia" but failed with Gurney's poorly constructed "Later Life," is trying again with a mildly enjoyable though not dramatically nourishing production of "The Dining Room." Here Gurney gives us a series of fast-paced vignettes, the white bread reduced to crumbs as a cast of nine speeds through 57 characters in 18 scenes. The title comes from the stark setting, a dining room table, which Gurney views as a WASP redoubt. In a twist, the setting remains static while the characters and stories around it change.
These are snatches of life: A couple discusses an illicit affair while attending to an unruly children's birthday party. A son walks in on his mother as she finishes an afternoon dalliance with a family friend. A newly single woman learns to do things on her own (under the table, no less). And so on. Gurney only flirts with character development in many of the brief scenes, some of which are formless and without resolution. The actors must instantly convey different characterizations to provide depth, but director Adriana Hardy has not taught many of her cast members how to use their bodies or speech to accomplish this; most play their roles without individuality. Hardy does keep it moving at a brisk pace, however, which keeps the audience engaged.
Some of Gurney's dialogue is fun, and a few trenchant observations provoke chuckles. The most successful vignettes involve older characters, quite fitting because Springfield Community Theatre is now performing at the arts center at Greenspring, a retirement village. Scenes in which a faltering grandmother fails to recognize her sons, a young man tries to get money from a well-to-do grandfather, a middle-aged daughter wants her aged parents to take her in when her marriage dissolves and a man plans his funeral seemed to resonate with the mostly retirement-age audience on opening night.
The older actors provide the richest characterizations, particularly G. Frances Huenemann, low key and poignantly affecting as the memory-challenged grandmother and quite amusing while her patience frays with a young relative who views her dining room as an anthropological discovery. Greg Christopher, with a marvelously textured, expressive voice, capably creates several older characters, though it was a mistake to also cast him as a youngster. Malcolm Searle convincingly conveys resignation as the grandfather being hit up for money, and Susan Garvey is effective but limited as a series of indistinguishable matrons.
Overall, it's pleasant enough, but these WASPS ultimately have little bite.
It's nice that the Springfield troupe has a new home, though the venue will limit its productions to small-scale plays. Greenspring put its resources into richly appointed audience amenities and little into the proscenium stage, which is shallow and lacks wings and fly space. A simple, no-set play such as this one works okay, but anything more complicated will be a problem. Greenspring is not visitor-friendly, with security checkpoints and little available parking near the theater, so arrive early.
"The Dining Room" concludes this weekend at Greenspring's performing arts center, 7400 Spring Village Dr., Springfield. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. For tickets, call 703-866-6238 or visit www.sctonline.org.
