|
Regional Reviews: St. Louis Promenade
María Irene Fornés' comedy (with delightful melodies by composer Al Carmines) is set in 1920s cafe society (possibly in America), giving us a cavalcade of what sound like gay witticisms that invariably turn into cheery nonsense. And yet we follow along, because it's all so playful. The perfect direction is by company founder Scott Miller with Chris Moore co-directing (Mr. Moore also performs on-stage) in a production by New Line Theatre at the Marcelle Theatre. The two-act show runs a bit over two hours, with great singing under the meticulous musical direction of Jason Eschhofen (New Line always has lush and complex harmonies on stage). Promenade had its first limited run in New York at Judson Poets' Theatre sixty years ago. And that first New York production won an Obie award in 1965 for Distinguished Plays. Producer/co-director Miller would fall in love with the original cast recording years later as a student in college. But "what does it mean, and where is it going?," I kept asking myself during this production. Those questions become the ultimate joke in a show that's gleefully evasive, where powerful idiots delight in flummoxing one another, as the powerless sneak in for a closer look (this may be an inspiration for the gay onlookers in Tennessee Williams' Small Craft Warnings seven years later in 1972). "Money makes you dumb," the show's two escaped convicts agree, as they invade a fancy dinner party on stage. Ronmal Mottley and Tawaine Noah end up leading the action as prison escapees, with Ian McCreary in pursuit as their former jailer. All three sing beautifully, and Mr. McCreary is a consistent exponent of the Keystone Kops style of physical comedy. Stephanie Merritt is excellent as a scornful servant, and Kent Coffel and Robert Doyle are debonair as two of the men at the table, later wandering the streets alongside another guest, the very smooth Chris Moore. We're diddled along by a thousand Cheshire Cat-type riddles that amount to adorable nothings, conveyed with either a remote diffidence or even a self-righteous gall. And then we realize the same tempestuous attitude, which we find in our own politics today, could well keep us hanging on till sun-up. Livy Potthoff adds fluid choreography, including a big wedding dance and a surprising maypole number, with her cast marching on like Brechtians off to war at lights-up. It's a show that's very 1960s in its desire to break free of the conventions of the theatre of its own time, plus a dash of Orson Welles to make it perfect for producer/director Miller. Kathleen Dwyer makes for a classic society dowager as Miss I, at one point reminding us of Lewis Carroll's weepy Mock Turtle, with Benni Jillette as the haughty movie-style goddess, Miss O. Chelsie Johnston adds a lot of beautiful vocals as Miss U, putting a button on Promenade's deeply felt sense of personal umbrage, which makes it all so perfect for today. There's a cornucopia of costumes designed by Becca Rose Bessette on a whimsical, Spartan set by Rob Lippert. Nathan Mecey and Michael Kramer get shipped off to war after intermission, taken away by a sort of army ex machina. As act one's waiter and dishwasher, they've been mistaken for the escaped convicts–but Mecey's dying words turn into something unexpectedly wacky. Bee Mecey (they are married) brings a dry sense of bathos as an overt plot device: a woman who wanders in halfway through looking for her lost children. And Lauren Tenenbaum is guileless, shimmying and shaking as Cake, who pops out of said confection. At one point she pays tribute to Fellini's dancing La Saraghina, from 8 1/2. W. Smith III is thoroughly delicious as the smirking mayor, adding a sense of crooked autocracy to the rich peoples' world. The whole show comes along at exactly the right moment, with its unexplained war and our own wealth gap at the worst it's been since the French Revolution. And every wise word twisted into ridiculous nonsense. What a surprising relief, finally, to be able to laugh at it all. Promenade, produced by New Line Theatre, runs through March 28, 2026, at the Marcelle Theatre, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, St. Louis MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.newlinetheatre.com. Cast: The New Line Band: Production Staff: |
