Eureka Day

A-

Eureka Day is the rather aspirational name of the Berkeley private school where this enjoyable, thought-provoking play by Bay Area playwright Jonathan Spector is set. After winning several awards on the West Coast, it has arrived at Walkerspace in SoHo for its New York premiere in a  first-rate Colt Coeur production. We meet the school’s executive committee in the midst of their first meeting of the school year. Headmaster Don (Thomas Jay Ryan; 10 out of 12, The Amateurs) strives to keep the group’s process flowing without offending anyone. Suzanne (Tina Benko; Nantucket Sleighride, Describe the Night) is the strong-willed chair who gives lip service to the equality of group members. Brash Eli (Brian Wiles) rarely lets someone else finish a sentence lest one of his own thoughts go unspoken. Quiet Meiko (K.K. Moggie; Daphne’s Dive) usually keeps her emotions bottled up. Carina (Elizabeth Carter) is an African-American who holds the rotating position on the committee reserved for new parents. The topic under discussion at the first meeting is whether the already lengthy drop-down menu on the online admissions application needs an option for "transracial adoptee." Initially, it seems that the playwright is offering yet another satire of group dynamics and political correctness gone amok similar to that seen in “Miles for Mary” last year. However, Mr. Spector has bigger fish to fry. After being introduced to the characters’ foibles at the first meeting, we see how these play out when a crisis strikes the school — a case of the mumps. When the health authorities demand that the school prevent unvaccinated students from attending, the large number of antivaxxer parents are incensed. To mollify everyone, Don sets up a Facebook Live component at their next meeting, during which all parents can share their thoughts. Their online comments, projected on a wall, range from totally off-topic to hysterically funny to downright nasty, leading the meeting into utter chaos. After intermission, the play takes a serious turn, which I will not spoil for you. As strong feelings rise to the surface, discussions become more contentious. Will the school find a way to meet the crisis? Come and see. The play is well-written, well-acted, well-designed (set by John McDermott, costumes by Lux Haac) and well-directed (by Colt Coeur artistic director Adrienne Campbell-Holt.) It is all too rare to encounter a play that is funny, timely, fair-minded and stimulating. Unfortunately, it is scheduled to close September 21. I hope it finds further life on another New York stage. Running time: two hours including intermission.

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.

Pride and Prejudice

B-

I wish I could say that Kate Hamill’s latest adaptation of a Jane Austen novel was as successful as her delightful version of Sense & Sensibility at the Gym at Judson last year. While the present work offers many pleasures, it lacks the air of lighthearted effortlessness that made that work so enjoyable. Instead, we get a frenetic pastiche of slapstick comedy, anachronisms and crossdressing that tries much too hard to entertain. This production originated at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival where I can see it working much better outdoors on a warm summer night. Five of the hard-working cast of eight play multiple roles. Mark Bedard (Fashion for Men) is a standout in all three of his roles — Mr. Collins, Ms. Bingley and Mr. Wickham. Amelia Pedlow (The Liar, The Heir Apparent), a lovely Jane, also plays Miss DeBourgh. John Tufts makes a strong impression as both Bingley and Mary. Chris Thorn is fine both as Mr. Bennet and Charlotte Lucas. Kimberly Chatterjee (The Christians) is strong as Lydia and Lady Catherine. Nance Williamson is an amusing Mrs. Bennet. Jason O’Connell (Sense & Sensibility) is a nuanced Mr. Darcy. Surprisingly Kate Hamill’s (Sense & Sensibility) Lizzy is disappointing; she comes across mainly as a sourpuss. Some of the anachronisms were jarring for me, e.g. dancing to music from Star Wars. The  audience appeared to be having a good time. If you are not measuring it against Hamill’s earlier work, you probably will too. In John McDermott’s (Sense & Sensibility) set design, the stage is stripped down to brick walls and lined with period chairs, tables, a piano and, for no apparent reason, a gramophone. The costumes, by Tracy Christensen (Sunset Boulevard), look appropriate for summer stock. Amanda Dehnert’s brisk direction includes a bit of audience participation. Running time 2 1/2 hours including intermission.

Sense & Sensibility ****

Bedlam is a theater group that presents “creative reappraisals of the classics.” Their bracing version of Jane Austen’s first novel is now playing at The Gym at Judson. Kate Hamill’s ingenious adaptation offers sheer delight with its creative stagecraft, lively exuberance, clever storytelling and fine acting. The talented cast of ten, some doubling and even tripling roles, vividly bring Austen’s characters to life. Andrus Nichols has the right gravitas for Elinor Dashwood and Hamill is appropriately overwrought as her sister Marianne. Jason O’Connell as both Edward Ferrars and his brother Robert, John Russell as John Willoughby and Edmund Lewis as Colonel Brandon are all fine. The other actors (Laura Baranik, Samantha Steinmetz, Jessica Frey, Stephan Wolfert and Gabra Zackman) are equally able. One clever scene has two actors simultaneously portraying two pairs of sisters. John McDermott’s set features four full-length windows, a door frame, a sofa, a few tables and numerous chairs, all mounted on casters that allow them to be moved around the stage by the actors with near-dizzying speed. Angela Huff’s period costumes, hidden below modern clothes at the opening, fit in with the spirit of the production. Director Eric Tucker deftly keeps everything under control. It all makes for a very enjoyable experience. Running time: 2 1/2 hours including intermission. NOTE: The show is going on a two-month hiatus soon but will reopen in mid-June and run through September. For information see bedlam.org.