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.

Hindle Wakes

B-

Once again, Mint Theater’s artistic director Jonathan Banks has rediscovered an interesting British play from the early 20th century and given it a first-rate production. The playwright is Stanley Houghton, a Manchester theater critic turned author who died tragically at 32 only a year after this play brought him wide acclaim in 1912. The play combines family drama, social criticism, ethical and moral dilemmas, satire and a dash of feminism. It reminded me a bit of Shaw minus much of the wit. When the mill owner’s spoiled son Alan (Jeremy Beck) is caught out after a weekend fling with mill hand Fanny (Rebecca Noelle Brinkley), whose father Christopher (Ken Marks) is an old friend of Alan’s father Nathaniel (Jonathan Hogan), everyone — from Fanny’s mother (Sandra Shipley) to Alan’s mother (Jill Tanner) to Alan’s fiancee Beatrice (Emma Geer) and her wealthy father Sir Timothy (Brian Reddy) — has an opinion about what Alan should do. Shouldn’t Fanny have a say in the matter? Stay tuned. The production has been lovingly staged with an attractive set by Charles Morgan, excellent costumes by Sam Fleming, impressive dialect work by Amy Stoller and smooth direction by Gus Kaikkonen. It’s slow moving and the accents can be a bit challenging, but if you have a taste for well-produced neglected plays, you will be rewarded. About the title, “Hindle” is the name of the imaginary Lancastrian town where the play is set. “Wakes” refers to Wakes Week, a now-vanished custom whereby the local industry closed down for a summer week so everyone could go on holiday. Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes including intermission.