Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Conflict

B+

The Mint Theater turns out first-rate productions of little-known early 20th-century British plays with such regularity that it would be easy to take them for granted. The latest example is a 1925 play by Miles Malleson that combines romance, politics and class.  Malleson (1888-1969) had such a productive career as a character actor in films (over 120) and as a screenwriter (20 screenplays, including The Thief of Baghdad in which he also played the sultan) that his work as a director, producer, translator of Moliere and playwright could be overlooked. In the present play, we meet Lord Bellingham (Graeme Malcolm; Equus, Hapgood), his bored, frivolous daughter Lady Dare Bellingham (Jessie Shelton; Hadestown), her stuffy beau Major Sir Ronald Clive, D.S.O. (Henry Clarke), her widowed friend Mrs. Tremayne (Jasmin Walker; Avenue Q) and the family butler Daniells (James Prendergast; Incident at Vichy). Dare is growing tired of the endless round of balls and dinners, but won’t commit to marrying Clive, her lover for over a year. Tom Smith (Jeremy Beck; Hindle Wakes), a former classmate of Clive’s at Cambridge who has fallen into dire poverty, turns up one night to beg for help. A year and a half later, Smith has regained his footing and is running as a Labour candidate for Parliament against Clive. Smith’s landlady, Mrs. Robinson (Amelia White; Crazy for You), is unimpressed with his politics, but Dare is intrigued. Will Lord Bellingham and Clive reveal a secret about Smith that could ruin his political and romantic future? I won’t tell. As usual, the Mint offers a strong cast, a splendid set (by John McDermott; Sense and Sensibility) and striking costumes (by Martha Hally; Women without Men). Jenn Thompson’s (Women without Men) direction reveals an aptitude for this material. It may not be as witty as Shaw, but it’s not as didactic either. I enjoyed it. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes including intermission.

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