Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Theater Review: A Little Journey

Samantha Soule and Laurie Birmingham. Photo: Richard Termine
A Little Journey Literally and Figuratively
By Lauren Yarger

The Mint Theater Company continues to revive long-lost gems in its intimate Off-Broadway site and Rachel Crothers’ A Little Journey is no exception.

This play from one of America’s most prolific early 20th-century playwrights (30 of her plays opened on Broadway between 1906 and 1937) was a nominee for the first Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1918. Set in 1914, it follows the interactions of travelers in a first-class Pullman train sleeper car, in which the first two acts take place – no easy production task, even in 2011.

The design team is up to the challenge, however, as lighting and sound (Paul Whitaker and Jane Shaw) enhance a carousel-like car design (Roger Hanna) which rotates periodically to simulate the motion of the train and gives Director Jackson Gay nice angles to plot the action. One moment, a couple in conversation arrive in their berth front and center; the next, a group of eavesdroppers in another part of the train laugh across the void. It’s all very clever.

The story revolves (no pun intended) around society girl Julie Rutherford (Samantha Soule), who finds herself destitute and put out by the aunt who has raised her. She refuses the hand of suitor Alfred Bemis (John Wernke) because he doesn’t provide enough of an income, or true love, and in despair, she heads to her estranged brother in Montana aboard the train. (In a tip of the hat to old fashioned plays written before money was such an issue for a production and doubling of actors’ roles became more common, Wernke and two actresses playing society friends of Julie’s are in the play for only a few minutes of the first act and are not seen again).

Free-spirited Jim West (McCaleb Burnett), headed home to Montana, pays for uptight Julie’s ticket when hers turns up lost, and a train-board friendship develops over four days. Keeping tabs on them are the other passengers: the pompous and demanding Mrs. Welch (Laurie Birmingham, who enjoys getting into the humorous part); young Lily (Chet Siegal) who is traveling with her near-deaf grandmother Mrs. Bay (Rosemary Prinz – some will remember her as Penny on the soap “As the World Turns”), two college students, Frank and Charles (Ben Hollandsworth and Ben Roberts); pants salesman Leo Stern (Craig Wroe), rich and pompous Mr. Smith (Douglas Rees), who gives Mrs. Welch a run for her money in the most demanding competition; Annie (Jennifer Blood), traveling alone and trying to care for her infant; and finally the porter (Anthony L. Gaskins), who takes care of all their needs. (Rees does the only doubling in the cast, also playing the conductor).

The trip takes an unexpected turn (again, no pun intended) and the folks find that a new outlook and a journey of character may take them to a new destination in life.

Some parts of the third act seem a little disjointed and the whole feels a little dated (though Martha Hally’s period costumes keep us tuned in to the era), but overall, A Little Journey is charming and holds up well over the years (it apparently hasn't been seen on stage since the 1930s following a 1927 silent film version which has been lost). Crothers apparently called the piece as a comedy, and while it probably wouldn’t be classified as such by modern standards, there is a lot of good humor in this play.

A Little Journey runs at the Mint, Third Floor of 311 West 43rd St., NYC, through July 10. Tickets are $55. All performances will take place on the Third Floor of 311 West 43rd Street. Tickets are available by calling the Mint box office at 212/315-0231 or go to http://www.minttheater.org/.

Christians might also like to know:
God’s name taken in vain
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Gracewell Prodiuctions

Gracewell Prodiuctions
Producing Inspiring Works in the Arts
Custom Search
Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

Search

Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

All Posts on this Blog