ACT's "PHILADELPHIA STORY " is not to be missed! Bernie's direction is spot on, the set by Jack Lindsay and Adam Cohen is elegance itself and the performance is simply superb. Nothing is out of place in this late 1930's silly saga on the manners and mores of the inhabitants of the "Philadelphia Main Line". Kelly Christianson's "Tracy Lord" exemplifies the "golden goddess girl" to a "T". The trio of Wilde, Clancy and Wood as "C. K. Dexter Haven", "Mike Connor" and "George Kittridge" respectively, are as goofy a bunch of hormone driven rich guys as can be found anywhere. Their nutty machinations are aptly supported by a cast of lovely characters. Linda Underwood's costumes are a gorgeous revival of early 20th Century elegance. God, we really used to dress in a grand but casual manner..ahh, the flow of pleated, expensive fabrics on beautiful women... but I digress. Jason Williams' lights are right on the money. Really, as well as being a piece of great entertainment, this production is a nostalgic voyage through a long gone (with no little regret) era.
Thankyou ACT. By the way, some of the younger generation may have confused "THE PHILADELPHIA STORY" with "PHILADELPHIA", a somewhat dark and dismal cinema epic starring Tom Hanks as a lawyer dying of AIDs. Believe me, ACT's offering is nothing like it!!
With kindest regards,
Mike Vaniman
17 May 2008
The Philadelphia Story
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From the C-T...
--BG
‘Philadelphia Story’ a real gem
by Tim Reid, take5 correspondent
A lavish set, talented cast and high society intrigue make a pleasing combination in Asheville Community Theatre’s reprisal of Philip Barry’s comedy “The Philadelphia Story.”
The play centers on wealthy socialite Tracy Lord (Kelly Christianson) as she prepares to marry nouveau riche company executive George Kittredge (Waylon Wood). It is the second try for Tracy as her quickie marriage to first husband, Dexter (Steve Wilde) lasted just 11 months – long enough for her to realize he was not perfect and she couldn’t put up with his faults.
Wedding preparations are in high gear for Tracy’s big day when fate throws two monkey wrenches into the brew.
The family is blackmailed into granting a notorious scandal publisher an exclusive story on the wedding or he will print an exposé on Tracy’s philandering father, Seth Lord (Peter Ely).
Cynical reporter Mike Connor (Dan Clancy) and photographer Liz Imbrie (Delina Hensley) show up to put the high-society family under a microscope for the pleasure of sensation-hungry readers. And Tracy’s ex-husband, Dexter, breezes in uninvited at the most inopportune times to stir up old feelings and resentments.
It doesn’t help that Tracy’s younger sister Dinah (Margaret Butler) maintains a frenzied dialogue of outlandish statements guaranteed to keep the adults on edge.
Jim France is delightful as Uncle Willie, the lecherous old aristocrat who would just as soon pinch a woman as look at her.
It is all too much for Tracy’s long-suffering mother (Beth Ely), so Tracy’s brother Sandy (Art Moore) conspires to blackmail the publisher into calling off his reporters.
All this is just background noise for the real drama that is taking place in Tracy’s heart as all three men — fiancé, ex-husband and reporter — vie for her attention.
Tracy must come to terms with the fact that no one is perfect and that a caring heart is more important than pedigree when it comes to forging a lasting marriage.
Jack Lindsey’s set design and Bernie Hauserman’s direction help a powerhouse cast turn this admittedly dated story (written in 1939) into a real gem for modern audiences.
Tim Reid reviews theater for the Citizen-Times. He can be contacted at timreid4@charter.net.
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