The first couple of American theatre, Michel Gill (l) and Jayne Atkinson. All photos by Sarah Moazeni.
It has been a hundred years since Ferenc Molnár wrote The Guardsman, a delicious theatrical trifle, but mostly piffle nevertheless. Yes, it’s so old it almost creaks. But old chestnuts are often born again in the world of theatre, and sometimes surprise us with their cleverness. What makes this tasty treat worthwhile is that has never pretended to be much more than a splendid vehicle for a husband and wife team of actors to take for a drive.
Richard Easton as The Critic.
Seeing this play a week after its official opening at a Saturday matinee with a “normal” audience gave this writer a chance to see it in the middle of its comic course. There is one more week to see the play which closes on July 31.
The Guardsman is well worth seeing, too, but not for the usual reasons. This is no meaty play like Endgame or A Delicate Balance that leaves you with plenty to chew on afterwards. You won’t sit on the edge of your seat as with K2, and the laughs are sporadic rather than constant.
Rather, it is an old fashioned comedy which requires nothing more from you than to sit back, relax and just simply enjoy. What is special about it is that the jokes are all in context, advancing the plot, and not glib one-liners that go for the easy laugh.
The secret of The Guardsman is that it is an ideal vehicle for its two stars, the mistrusting duplicitous husband and his on-to-him wife.
The twice divorced Molnár knew about troubled marriages, and used his own to needle what was then called the battle of the sexes. But the two leads are as critical to making the play work for audiences today as it was when first performed.
Stephen DeRosa as a creditor.
In the original American 1924 production the stars were the legendary Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, still the most famous acting couple in American theatre history, Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy notwithstanding. They also starred in the film version of The Guardsman, about the only chance present day theatre lovers have to see their work today.
Molnár emigrated New York City to escape Nazi persecution of Hungarian Jews in World War II. He was a book writer who dabbled in popular plays. He wrote Liliom from which came the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, and The Swan which was the last film made by Grace Kelly before she became Princess Grace of Monaco.
All that background sets the stage for the entrance of the Berkshire’s own Jayne Atkinson and Michel Gill as America’s newest and most compelling American theatrical couple.
It was a stroke of genius for Kate Maguire (Artistic Director of the Berkshire Theatre Festival) to cast them as the dueling couple in The Guardsman, for she has shown us a possible new iconic pairing, Atkinson-Gill. I can’t think of any other team currently working the American stage that deserves the title of the first couple of theatre more than them.
Tara Franklin as the maid.
In The Guardsman they are indeed, married actor and actress, unable to switch off their flights of histrionics in their daily lives.
This provides the basis for enjoying this old chestnut, mixing and separating the real from the imagined.
Married six months, things are already getting a little bumpy. She loves Chopin, he is driven crazy by her playing it. His insecurities demand constant assurances of her love; she parses her words of affection.
Soon the simple plot emerges: since she has a fantasy of a Russian Guardsman sweeping her into his arms, he will pretend to be one in order to test her loyalty.
Soon the husband leaves for an out of town engagement, and the guardsman appears in full over-the-top costume, replete with a forest of fake facial hair.
They do a delicate dance of mannered exchanges during which an invitation to meet later that evening is proffered.
Mary Louise Wilson as Mama.
As the husband, Michel Gill delivers a solid, stolid performance of a proper 19th Century gentleman.
But when he dons the red uniform of a Guardsman, his voice, bearing and personality changes along with it.
He assumes the role of an adoring Russian Prince, and Jayne Atkinson becomes the flustered yet intrigued wife. This dance of deception and courtship provides a second layer of enjoyment.
The first meeting takes place in the drawing room of their mansion, and the second act moves to a private box and reception room at the opera.
The location goes back to the house for the third act.
Both sets were splendid, working within the terrible limitations of the old playhouse with no wings, no fly space, and pillars on both sides of the stage.
Jayne Atkinson and Michel Gill make magic together.
At some point during the half-hearted pursuit of his wife it becomes apparent to the audience that she is on to him. It then becomes a cat with a mouse game as she toys with him.
We don’t catch on all at once but rather Jayne Atkinson’s subtle shadings lead us to it. This third and final component of the play adds further hilarity to the proceedings. In the end there’s a triple twist. I leave that detail for you to see for yourself.
Surrounding the brilliant Gill and Atkinson is a strong supporting cast. Playing “Mama” is the incredible Mary Louise Wilson in an equally multi-layered role. Richard Easton is the critic Dr. Bernhard, and his genius is in downplaying his role so as to be the foil for the leading couple.
We have seen Tara Franklin in superb serious roles at BTF before but as Liesel, the maid she is nothing short of hilarious every moment she is on stage. Then there is the wonderful Stephen DeRosa who could easily step into the role of The Guardsman if asked, who instead delivers two roles as a creditor which was well done, and as the usher at the opera box which was absolutely hilarious. He managed to steal the spotlight for the few minutes he was on stage.
Gill and Atkinson work so well together, it was like watching a boxing match. She bobbed. He weaved. They threw verbal punches but they never stung. The more heated his demands became, the more strategic were her responses.
The two produced a perfectly balanced, yin-yang balance throughout the piece. Even as we knew instinctively what would likely happen next, we still watched in awe as the actors made it so.
Director John Rando is another favorite and regular at BTF. The tack he took on this period piece was respectful, but witty and fast moving. He is a master of slapstick, and slipped it in where appropriate and believable. With such great talents at his disposal I suspect his job was more one of reining in their imaginations than finding any deep psychological underpinnings. Finding the right balance between comic and buffoonery was the challenge here, and we never laughed at the play or its age, but only at the hyper-real people that inhabited the very different world that existed a century ago.
It’s a rare revival of an old chestnut, well done, and you owe it to yourself to see it while you can.
Berkshire Theatre Festival presents The Guardsman, written by Ference Molnar, translated by Grace I. Colbron & Hans Baartsch, Directed by John Rando, Scenic Design – Alexander Dodge, Costume Designer – David Murin, Lighting Design – Mary Louise Geiger, Sound Designer – Scott Kllian. Cast: The actress, his wife – Jayne Atkinson, A Creditor/usher – Stephen DeRosa, The Critic, Dr. Bernhard – Richard Easton, Liesel, the maid – Tara Franklin, The Actor/The Guardsman – Michel Gill, “Mama” – Mary Louise Wilson. Three acts with two intermissions. Two hours, fifteen minutes. July 13 to July 31, 2010. www.berkshiretheatre.org
