Hartford Stage is
celebrating its 50th anniversary by presenting a repertory company
in two plays, Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Marivaux’s “La Dispute.”
“Marivaux? Who the
hell is Marivaux?”
Well, Pierre
Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux was something of a hot ticket back when Louis
XV sat on his somewhat shaky throne, circa 1740. He was a prominent playwright,
journalist, novelist and essayist who managed to make an enemy of, among
others, Voltaire, and wrote for both the Comédie-Française and the
Comédie-Italienne of Paris .
“Yeah? So what?”
Well, among other
things, Marivaux’s main subject in his novels and plays was the metaphysic of love-making.
“The what?”
What we do, say and think when we fall in and out
of love.
“Oh, okay. So, what about this Dispute thing?”
Well, you see, this was also the Age of
Enlightenment – you know, Newton
“You’re not making any sense.”
Give me a chance. So Marivaux came up with
this idea: what if there’s this garden party, or fete champetre, and a prince
(Grant Goodman) and his mistress, Hermianne (Kate MacCluggage), are having an
on-going argument about which sex is more inclined to infidelity.
Kaliswa Brewster and Jeffrey Omura. Photo by T. Charles Erickson
“Why?”
Well, the French
are concerned about things like that. In any event, the prince is inclined to
agree with his lady that the male, given the gender’s inherent chemistry, will
fall at a moment’s notice, but he suggests that the concept be put to a test
(this being the Age of Enlightenment and all) and, fortunately, there are four
young folks at hand to be put to use. You see, the prince’s father had acquired
four babes, two males and two females, several decades ago and had them raised
by two servants – seeing no one else, never knowing that the world was larger
than the four walls that enclosed them.
“You’re kidding
me.”
Would I kid you?
In any event, the prince orders these young folks to be released into the
garden and…
“Like, it’s a
Garden of Eden thing?”
Exactly – very
good – so the prince and his mistress step back to watch what happens.
“Yeah, and what
happens?”
Phillipe Bowgen and Mahira Kakkar. Photo by T. Charles Erickson
Well, not a whole
hell of a lot. Egle (Kaliswa Brewster) appears first, a young lady who is
enamored of her own beauty. She’s transfixed by her reflection in a stream and,
when presented with a mirror becomes rapturous. Next on the scene is Azor
(Jeffrey Omura), who immediately falls in love with Egle, who confirms his
decision – after all, why shouldn’t he be totally absorbed by her? Ah, but
there’s a snake or two in the grass.
“Yeah, the Garden
of Eden thing.”
Okay, you’ve made
your point. Adine (Mahira Kakkar) shows up, a young lady also transfixed by her
own beauty (after all, there’s been no competition). There’s an extended ‘who’s
the fairest of them all’ scene that is ended when Mesrin (Philippe Bowgen) appears
on the scene, the fourth sheltered child (whom Adine loves – how she met him is
never explained). Egle sees Mesrin and falls in love with him. Oh, the angst,
the agony. Egle wants them both – she wants it all. The dear girl just adores
being adored.
To say this is all
a tempest in a teapot or the lightest of French confections is to give it
greater weight than it deserves. Stylishly directed by Darko Tresnjak, the
Stage’s artistic director, and handsomely lit by Matthew Richards, the play,
which runs only 70 minutes, seems to float on gossamer clouds of cotton candy.
There is simply no bite to it and scant wit. This ain’t no “Les Liasons
Dangereuses.”
Kate MacCluggage. Photo by T. Charles Erickson
That the two young
women adore themselves is established early and then milked for all it’s worth;
that the two young men are slaves to their libidos is, well, a given, and not
much of a revelation.
“So, who wins the
argument?”
It’s a draw, to be
continued. You see, there are these four babies…
“Babies? Where did
they come from?”
You don't know where babies come from? In any
event, the girls fight, the guys fight, and, in the end, they are all left to
their own devices, facing a world they are ill prepared for.
“So, it’s kinda
existential?”
Yeah, you might
say that.
“I just did.”
Yes, you did.
“La Dispute” runs
through November 10. For tickets or more information call 860-527-5151 or go to
www.hartfordstage.org
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