The Violet Hour at Barrington Stage Company
Publish and Perish
By: Charles Giuliano - Jul 21, 2008
The Violet Hour
By Richard Greenberg
Directed by Barry Edelstein; Sets by Wilson Chin; Costume Design by Jessica Ford; Lighting Design by Chris Lee; Sound and Music, Matthew M. Nielson; Press, Charlie Siedenburg; Casting, Pat McCorkle, CSA; Production Stage Manager, C. Renee Alexander. Starring: Jessie (Opal Alladin), Rosamund (Heidi Armbruster), Denny (Brian Avers), Gidger (Nat DeWolf), John (Austin Lysy).
As we waited for the beginning of "The Violet Hour" which is set during April of 1919 there was a nostalgic sound track of jazz and blues of the period including Jelly Roll Morton and Al Jolson compiled by Matthew M Nielson. There was time to absorb the wonderfully cluttered set by Wilson Chin with its stacks of papers everywhere. It was the chaotic office of a small, startup publishing company. The ceiling was set at an angle which accented the slant of windows looking out at a gothic detailed segment of a skyscraper signifying mid town Manhattan.
The ambient mood was set for 'The Violet Hour," the title of the brilliant, but impossibly voluminous, first novel of the hopeful author Denny McCleary (Brian Avers). He is pitching it to his former Princeton roommate, and possible bisexual lover, John Pace Seavering (Austin Lysy). The Violet Hour is that time between sunset and evening which T.S. Eliot described in "The Waste Land" as "The evening hour that strives homeward."
This proved to be a rather prolonged violet twilight at Barrington Stage Company as the first act, some 90 minutes or so, dragged on with seemingly endless exposition by Richard Greenberg. His 2003 play had a fairly brief debut. Before the curtain, Julianne Boyd, the artistic director of Barrington Stage, informed the audience that it is a deserving play that it is too infrequently produced. For most of the first act we understood why.
Much of what saved the first act was the positively brilliant comedy of the hilarious and simpering assistant to the publisher, the swishy Gidger (Nat DeWolf). No first or last name just Gidger. His delivery was spot on and most of the laughs came from skewering, irreverent interactions with the boss. He is an all too wise Sancho Panza to the quixotic, spoiled rich kid, aspiring publisher.
The handsome, boyish John, and Gidger, are drowning in a sea of unsolicited manuscripts. There is just a trickle of money from a wealthy but despised father. Gidger has the wonderful observation that "I thought we all hated our mothers." There is enough seed money to sink or swim by publishing just one book. If he fails John will be at the mercy of his father.
John, the fledgling publisher, is caught between two potential projects. He must decide between the over the top demands of Denny. Or, the memoirs of a brown skinned, blues singing. older woman. The charmingly sensual Opal Alladin, as Jessie Brewster, is his clandestine lover . Because the play is set in 1919 there are both racism and sexism in the portrayal of this illicit relationship. Some of the lines make us wince
The confused John, looking for a walk on the wild side is striving to break out of the confines of an aristocratic background. On the cusp of the Jazz Age it is all too typical that a Princeton Tiger would want to roar. It reminded one that F. Scott Fitzgerald might have been a classmate of John and Denny at Princeton.
Introducing the innuendo of bisexuality, John is flagrantly kissed by Denny when he first implies that he will publish the book. Contrasted with their closeted demeanor there is the flamboyantly gay Gidger. Jessie walks in and catches John and Denny in the act. Later, she uses this as leverage, and potential blackmail, to get John to publish her memoir. As a woman of a certain age she hopes that the book will extend her fading career.
It seems that Denny also has a lover, Rosamund Plinth (Heidi Armbruster), the heiress to a Chicago meatpacking fortune. It is imperative that John publish his book to secure credibility with her father. She is engaged to a man from a properly rich family but would prefer to give up security for love. If only Denny can demonstrate some potential as a published author.
Through all of the scenes and confrontations of the first act Gidger is gatekeeper for appointments about which he makes running commentary. He interrupts the boss to say that a very large machine has arrived and urges John to come take a look. John is too busy holding off his mistress and best friend, or meeting with the persuasive, and rather bonkers Rosamund. Gidger's interruptions become ever more urgent. By the end of the first act it appears that the machine is spewing out prophetic pages of books about the protagonists some 80 years in the future.
After all that exposition the first act ended with the hope of change. We returned after intermission to find a far more fast paced and enjoyable second act. By now everything was wonderfully out of control. We found Gidger and John utterly absorbed in chapters of the constantly spewing out manuscripts. There is a lot of terrific humor as jokes about what lies ahead thread through their discoveries. Gidger is furious and miffed that he doesn't even make the index of a future biography of John who evolved as a famous publisher. While Gidger is forgotten his dog, Sir Lancelot, has become a famous mascot of the Round Table at the Algonquin. While John finds that Jessie was not forthcoming about secrets left out of her autobiography.
It all devolves in a manic and wonderful manner. John and Gidger careen between glimpses of the future and abrupt returns to real time. There are revelations of tragic ends for all of them. In poignant moments we glimpse the future demise of Denny suffering through a failed marriage to Rosamund and the possible suicide of Jessie. All of which is preventable if John somehow manages to publish both of their books.
Yes, Boyd is correct. This is a play worth producing even if there is some risk involved. The first act could use cutting and a faster pace while the second act is just fine. The cast, overall is quite wonderful. John was correctly boyish, spoiled and idealistic. Denny could be toned down a bit but he was convincingly smart and desperate. The women had lesser roles than the men but played them convincingly. Gidger was, of course, just fabulous as he devoured every scene in which he appeared.
Just a comment on the costumes of Jessica Ford. The men were appropriately attired in the business suits of the period. But, good heavens, what on earth was Ford doing to the women? Their costumes seemed more designed for farce than comedy. Why on earth did she wrap Jessie in a skirt slit up the front and a swallow tailed jacket? While the frock on Rosamund looked like something from an attic or yard sale. The women were supposed to look glamorous not ludicrous. Good grief.
Give credit to Barrington Stage for presenting an unfamiliar play. While it would benefit from edits and a faster pace overall this was a most enjoyable production. After the risk taking of Violet Hour Barrington will next present a comic chestnut "Private Lives" by Noel Coward. Now that should be fun.