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| Watched by Trench (Dan Hoyle), Blanche (Megan Trout) pours as Cokane (Michael Gene Sullivan) and Sartorius (Warren David Keith, right)) chat in Germany. (Photo by David Allen) |
On the surface, the four main characters of George
Bernard Shaw’s “Widowers’ Houses” seem like well- mannered members of the
English gentry in the late 19th century.
Not all is as it seems, though, as is soon revealed
in the production presented by Aurora Theatre Company.
Sartorius (Warren David Keith), a widower, and his
adult daughter, Blanche (Megan Trout), meet William Cokane (Michael Gene
Sullivan) and his young friend Dr. Harry Trench (Dan Hoyle) during a trip to
Germany in August 1890. They get along so well that Sartorius invites Cokane
and Trench to visit the next month. He doesn’t know that Blanche and Trench
have become attracted to each other.
During the September visit, Trench tells Sartorius
that he wants to marry Blanche. At Sartorius’s stipulation, Trench writes to
his relatives to get their blessing.
A complication arises with the arrival of the
raggedy Lickcheese (Howard Swain), who oversees Sartorius’s properties and
collects the rent. It becomes clear that Sartorius is a slum lord. He fires
Lickcheese for spending too much for safety-related repairs.
He says that the tenants will ruin them within a few
days. Later he says, “When people are very poor, you cannot help them.”
When Trench discovers the source of Sartorius’s
wealth, he tells Blanche that they must live only on his income of 700 pounds a
year and not take any of her father’s money. He doesn’t tell her why. She
breaks off with him. He then learns that his income is tainted, too.
Five months later, Lickcheese returns arrayed in
fine clothing (costumes by Callie Floor). Trench and Cokane are there, too.
Lickcheese has a shady business proposition for Sartorius, who’s in no position
to refuse. Trench must decide whether to take part and whether to reconcile
with Blanche.
As astutely directed by Joy Carlin, the five main
characters are well defined. Sullivan’s Cokane is a peace-maker when decorum is
broken. Keith’s Sartorius is a snob.
Trout’s Blanche comes across as pretty but bratty.
However, Aurora artistic director Tom Ross cites program notes from the
company’s 1997 of the play. They say that Blanche “displays both the selfish
cruelty of the upper classes and the passions compressed, perverted and
rendered monstrous by the pressures of her disguise as a Victorian Lady.”
As Trench, however, Hoyle’s grimaces become
distracting. On the other hand, Swain is a comic delight as Lickcheese. Also
adding some comic notes is Sarah Mitchell in minor roles as the waiter in
Germany and Sartorius’s maid.
Carlin’s direction goes awry only when she allows an
angry Blanche to attack the maid and throw her on the floor.
On the other hand, projected photos of destitute
people in London’s slums (scenic and lighting design by Kent Dorsey) between
Acts 2 and 3 help to show just how callous Sartorius was.
But such destitution isn’t limited to that time and
place. After the play ends, projected photos show today’s homeless people
looking wretched on downtown streets or living in shabby tent cities. Graphs
illustrate the dramatic rise of apartment rents in the Bay Area.
Even though this is Shaw’s first play and lacks the
polish of his later masterworks, it’s still worth seeing, especially in this
production.
Running about two and a half hours with two short
intermissions, “The Widowers’ Houses”
has been extended through March 4. For tickets and information, call (510) 843-4822 or
visit www.auroratheatre.org.
