-Noel Coward
(This quote dedicated to Capitol Hill. Here's
hoping they reach an agreement.)
hoping they reach an agreement.)
After all the hustle, bustle and excitement of Room Service, the whole company was delighted to take a daytrip into Portland on our day off that Monday. Under the guise of a Portland Sea Dogs baseball game, a small group of Monmouthians had been planning on heading to city since June. As we got closer to the date, it became clear that almost everyone in the company was interested in a taste of city air, and so Monday morning we caravanned the fifty-five minutes down the interstate to begin our various adventures.
For a solid quarter of us that adventure started at a delectable Portland restaurant: Duck Fat. This local eatery is renowned for frying things in, you guessed it, duck fat. Principally french fries, which they serve to you in a cone with a host of delicious dipping sauces. We also had excellent panini, while for me the highlight was the home-made mint and lime soda. The perfect cool, crisp compliment to the heavy fare. We left the restaurant with all of our senses thoroughly sated.
Next stop was Dustin Tucker's lovely apartment across town. He had an open house all afternoon, and let the various TAM company members wander by as we finished our respective meals or coffees or shopping or combinations of all three. We all had a beautiful time unwinding in the comfortable and classy surroundings of Dusty's lovely abode. Thanks again Dusty!After that the group dispersed a bit into pockets of strollers, shoppers and baseball fans. Some of us went to the Old Port, some to the Sea Dogs, and others went restaurant hopping, trying to make the most of Portland's impressive culinary offerings.
My personal favorite was a local biergarten called Novare Res, which had delicious appetizers and some of the best beers I've ever had. My recommendation is the Smuttynose Old Dog Brown Ale. Best brown ale I've ever tasted.Whether dining or shopping or baseball=ing, we all had a very restful and relaxing day. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by the sights and sounds of a city after six weeks in rural Maine. Certainly made me realize yet again, that although I enjoy a stay in the country, I am a City Mouse through and through.
The week went by steadily, with many company members taking it easy and those of us on my crew having some solid rehearsals for James & the Giant Peach. James is coming along very well and I could not be more excited about opening it on August 2nd! More on that soon.
But for seven stalwart company members the week was anything but relaxing. They were in the throws of mastering Noel Coward's delightful comedy: Blithe Spirit. And though the cast members later told us that they were every bit as uncertain as we had been about Room Service, when opening night came we certainly could not tell. The show went very well Friday night, and was filled with charm and plenty of high-class English pomp. The trick to this play of course is that the first act is pretty much just exposition. It sets up the relationships of the two principal characters, the married couple Charles & Ruth Condamine. Paul & Denise, our Condamines this summer, did a splendid job of playing off one another, with Denise taking just enough of her witticisms out to the audience to keep us in on the jokes. By the time Ambien came out as the ghostly ex-wife to terrorize the living characters, a much-needed wave of laughter erupted from the packed house. Once the audience knew that the absurdity had begun, the tone was set and everybody settled in to a delightful trip from British high society through the supernatural.
Watching Blithe Spirit last Friday, I had to think of Misalliance, the Shaw piece we performed last year here in Monmouth. Both Coward and Shaw had a genius for arming their characters with exactly the right thing to say to the right person at the right moment. Dialogue between characters is lightning-quick, extremely elevated and the wit is drier than a snail in the salt flats. The ease and elegance with which these characters move through polite society, and the absurd circumstances they always find themselves in while attempting to maintain their poise never ceases to leave me delighted. Since upper crust Brits from the early 20th century are in short supply these days there are a few rules for playing these types of characters: the actor must have a sophisticated facility with language, they must be able to wear clothes well, and it is impossible to do with the under-25 set (so says Jon Jory). Its a tough recipe to get right. But when it falls into place, there is a trace of real glamour there, a taste of a time and place more cultivated and charming than reality ever could be.What a pleasure it is to spend two hours in such company.
After three very different comedies, we are heading into tragic territory this week with one of the greatest pieces of western literature. King Lear opens soon, but that is a tale for another time. Till then, I'll leave you with one of Master Coward's epigrams:"It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit."
-Noel Coward
Indeed.
-BBell
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