Theatre People - Westport Country Playhouse

Thank goodness for Olga! In Paul Slade Smith’s agreeable comedy Theatre People, the actress Erin Noel Grennan embodies the character of Olga, a no-nonsense, slightly irritable maid working in a Newport Mansion, circa 1948.  She delivers the show's funniest lines, with well-timed bon mots and snarky retorts.  

The cast of Theatre People at Westport Country Playhouse.  Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Theatre People, adapted from Ferenc Molnár’s work, Play at the Castle, is part farce, part straightaway comedy.  Two down-on-their-luck playwrights, Arthur Sanders (played by the always enjoyable Michael McCormick), and his wife Charlotte (portrayed with mirthful glee by Isabel Keating), have escorted Oliver (Rodolfo Soto), a lovesick author, to a coastal manor for a secret rendezvous with his lady love.  His soon-to-be-published book, based on his affection for actress Margot Bell (Mia Pinero), has been transformed by the Sanders into a stage show.  All that needs to be done is for Oliver to sign his book contract.   Unfortunately, the best-laid plans come to a screeching halt when Margot’s hanky-panky with rakish baritone Victor Pratt (Michael McCorry Rose) is overheard from the thin hotel room walls.  Chaos ensues as Oliver, his love life now in ruins, wants to shred his novel and the Sanders’ would-be success suddenly evaporates.  Olga’s intrusions and snappy comebacks don’t help matters.  What can be done to save the day?  A little bit of mayhem, chaos, and general frivolity on the way to a happy ending for all.

 

Isabel Keating and Michael McCormick of Theatre People at Westport Country Playhouse.  Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Paul Slade Smith has devised an amusing scenario, with doors slamming, characters running about, and a bit of misdirection to fuel the plot.  Being an actor himself, the playwright knowingly injects the busyness and backstage patter within the making of a play into Theatre People’s storyline, which propels the show forward. 

Erin Noel Grennan and Isabel Keating of Theatre People at Westport Country Playhouse.  Photo by T. Charles Erickson

 

With flawless timing, Director Mark Shanahan keeps the tempo swift and the hijinks nonstop.  Whether cast members are individually on stage or in a cluster, he nimbly guides the show with a solid rhythmic pace.  Shanahan also knows when to highlight Olga’s unique brand of humor to liven up the show. 

 

The cast is game for the physicality and shenanigans Shanahan can throw at them.  Isabel Keating brings a screwball-ish comedy sensibility to her role.  She gesticulates madly through her portrayal, arms flailing as she prowls the stage.  Michael McCormick, grandly grumpish, is the perfect yin to her yang.  Rodolfo Soto, Mia Pinero, and Michael McCorry Rose provide ample support in their featured roles.

 

Mia Pinero and Michael McCorry Rose of Theatre People at Westport Country Playhouse.  Photo by T. Charles Erickson

James J. Fenton’s set design of a Newport mansion bedroom is sumptuously furnished.  Its multiple doorways are strategically placed for the on-stage mischievousness.  The stage is suitably aglow with Alyssandra Docherty’s well-appointed Lighting Design.  Annie J. Le’s Costume Designs are both stylish and luxuriant for the late 1940’s.

 

Theatre People, playing at the Westport Country Playhouse through April 12.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.