Theater Review—

Brilliant Cast Shines In ‘Philadelphia Story’

By Julie Stern

NEW MILFORD — The 1940 movie The Philadelphia Story is a well known classic that won an Oscar for Jimmy Stewart, and received nominations for Katherine Hepburn and Ruth Hussey, as well as for Best Picture. It is also ranked No. 15 on the list of greatest comedies by the American Film Institute.

That being said, the Philip Barry play of the same name, on which the movie was based, is a bit dated, and not nearly as much fun on its own. The film’s success comes from the power of its stars, including Cary Grant and Celeste Holm as well as the abovementioned names.

In choosing to put the play on as its holiday offering, Theatreworks New Milford was taking a chance. For the most part, directors Jane Farnol and Joseph Russo have made a success of the project, without having their cast go for slavish imitations of the screen performances.

In case you don’t know the story, it looks at caste and class on the Philadelphia Main Line. Spoiled, rich socialite Tracy Lord divorced her first husband, the blue-blooded C.K. Dexter Haven, because she couldn’t tolerate his human weaknesses.

When the play opens, she is about to marry man-of-the-people, George Kittridge — a coal miner’s son who worked his way up to wealth and a budding political career.

Unfortunately, the Lord family is being blackmailed by a tabloid publisher who uses compromising pictures of Tracy’s father, Seth, with his mistress, to force them into granting the tabloid a private interview. The team of writer Macaulay “Mike” Connor, and photographer Liz Imbrie are sent to do a story on how the very rich live.

Tracy and her kid sister, Dinah, proceed to treat them to a show of pretentious, exaggerated lah-di-dah behavior. Things become complicated when Mike develops a crush on Tracy, and Dinah invites Dexter to the wedding, because she wants him to get back together with Tracy. Meanwhile the wayward Seth Lord returns home, scolding his daughter for being a cold and untouchable goddess, incapable of forgiving any frailty in others.

All this is a bit talky (and I left out several threads of plot) but things really pick up in the second act, when all the wheels are set in motion and good things start to happen, so that as in Shakespeare, the proper couples will get sorted out.

Jenny Schuck does a magnificent job in the central role of Tracy. Without being anything like Hepburn, she dominates the stage, crackling with scorn, wit, and righteous wrath, until champagne melts her implacable self assurance and the goddess becomes human with her clay feet sticking out for all to see.

Jake Horvath really shines as the idealistic young writer-journalist Mike, and the show is stolen, several times, by Bradford Blake as Tracy’s lecherous, alcoholic Uncle Willie. It is good to see Mark Feltch back on stage in a typically solid performance as Seth Lord, and Ron Malyszka makes the most of a small role as the butler, Edward.

The rest of the large cast do their jobs very creditably, including Katherine Almquist as Tracy’s mother, Steve Manzino as Dexter, and Peter McGee as the insufferably pompous George. Abigail Heydenburg does well with the large and important role of Dinah, Beth Bonnabeau-Harding brings life and wit to Liz Imbrie, and Charles R. Roth gives an energetic performance as Tracy’s brother.

(Performances continue weekends until December 29, but will also include a special New Year’s Eve performance on Monday, December 31.

For curtain, ticket and other details call 860-350-6863 or see the Enjoy calendar.)