Redemption in the Second Act

If I had been tempted to write my review during the intermission of Centre Stage's latest show, here's how it would have begun:

Q. How do you make the assassination of Abraham Lincoln into a comedy?
A. You don't. At least not successfully.

I will not dissemble. Charles Busch's "Our Leading Lady" possesses an overly long and dry first act--especially for a piece billed as "a Civil War comedy. (Yes, a Comedy.)"

Q. So I should stay away? Far, far away?
A. No.

You'll get a few chuckles from the shenanigans of act one--if you've ever been in a play (the action takes place backstage) you'll probably laugh at hen-pecked Kelly Wallace's Verbena DeChamblay. But no matter who you are, you'll giggle at Justin Walker's religiously-conflicted Ferguson, and you'll be especially pleased to meet Laura Keene's servant, Madame Wu-Chan--an infectiously joyous performance by Cheryl Taylor.

Still not convinced? That's okay. Just wait for the second act. "Our Leading Lady" is in possession of a most redemptive second half.

BJ Koonce is Laura Keene--the conniving, controlling, self-aggrandizing leading lady of the title. While Koonce delivers a solid performance throughout, she shines in act two--a sensitively nuanced portrayal of a strong woman coming undone. There are no histrionics, no flashy fireworks, but a powerful, honest portrayal of grief and change. Be sure to watch Koonce's interactions with Taylor (Wu-Chan). The two deliver the most beautiful moments of the play and are, to my mind, the reason to see this show.

Many of the other characters undergo similar transformations: minor stock players, accustomed to hiding from themselves and the world, experience one of our nation's greatest tragedies. Now that it's happened, they've got to come out from behind their masks and confront the shambles of their lives.

Perhaps it is this heartache that give the jokes of the second half an especial luster. Perhaps they are just plain funnier. (Katy Beth Cassell's Clementine Smith goes from doddering drunk to farcical wit.) Whatever the cause, you'll laugh often and deeply in act two. The cast comes alive, the pace picks up, Madame Wu-Chan gets funnier and funnier, and the play atones for its difficult beginnings. After all, how easy can it be to write a comedy about the Civil War? As Charles Busch and the cast at Centre Stage show--it's not simple. It's quite rough getting started. But it can be done.

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Charles Busch's "Our Leading Lady" Directed by Benjamin P. Robinson. Featuring BJ Koonce. With Richard Beveridge, Katy Beth Cassell, J. Michael Craig, Lavin Cuddihee, Annette Garver, Cheryl Taylor, Justin Walker, Kelly Wallace.

Presented by Centre Stage, 501 River Street, Greenville, SC (864) 233-6733. Through May 1. Tickets $25, with discounts for seniors and students.

Posted by stephanie at April 16, 2010 10:20 AM | TrackBack