The lives and scandals of a
wealthy family in London become the subject of this study by the late,
great Noel Coward, who unmasks socialite Florence Lancaster with little
regard for mercy or pity. Although penned in 1928, this
presentation has been updated to 1965 and has lost none of its
original mockery and bite. Coward makes Florence's primary concern a two
letter word; "Me", and she serves it fastidiously well as she
tries to maintain her youth, her looks and her sexual appetite with her
young lover Tom. It appears that the entire household, including
friends, must always revolve around Florence and her wishes, which she
often masquerades as "needs." Her boy toy Tom often
spends a great deal of time around the house; never mind that her rich
husband David is often there. After years of marriage, the couple
is little more than room-mates and David seems unperturbed by anything
she does.
The situation changes
considerably when her son, Nicky, shows up with his fiancée, Bunty
Mainwaring, an attractive young woman not quite molded into the society
mores of the day, but showing definite potential. There are the
courteous exchanges between the two women, the de rigueur dinner
invitation and the casually pointed questions about her background and
family. Then Tom shows up. When it is disclosed that Tom and
Bunty were acquainted in the past, you don't need a libretto to figure
out what is going to happen.
As directed by Gene Franklin
Smith, Noel Coward's original subtle inferences become a riveting
tabloid where secrets are ripped open and suppressed feelings are flung
about with little regard for consequences. You sit at the edge of
your chair wondering what will be exposed next.
But none of this would ever
come to pass without the talented group of actors that embodies this
presentation. Shannon Holt has taken complete possession of the
role of Florence Lancaster and has created a tragic-comic character that
defies you not to rivet your attention on her. She is so infused
into Florence that every detail of her demeanor and actions depicts haughtiness
and disdain, but internally is screaming with the pain that reality is
catching up to her.
Craig Robert Young owns Nicky
Lancaster, body and soul. The anguish in his face, the anxiety in
his voice, the look in his eyes are the agonizing expressions of a man
in conflict. A man who has made an impossible commitment only to
see it disintegrate before his eyes and perhaps is secretly grateful
that it did. The exchanges with his mother are impeccably tense as
only people who have a love-hate relationship could
share.
It would be unfair to say the
rest of cast is supporting. They are the foundation and the pillars on
which the story rests and each character brings an important element to
the story. Florence's lover, Tom Veryan, for example, as
played by Daniel Jimenez, has a touch of arrogance and aplomb that
unwittingly starts the events that will eventually unravel Nicky and
Florence. Helen Saville, as played by Victoria Hoffman, is
the only person that has the courage to confront Florence with the truth
at the risk of losing a friendship, while Cameron Mitchell, Jr. is
delightfully droll as Paunceforth "Pawnie" Quentin. With
a name like "Pawnie", is it necessary to say what his role
is?
Beautiful Sky LaFontaine as
Bunty Mainwaring is the girl that breaks Nicky's heart. That, and
almost everything else in the lives of that family, with her wide-eyed
not so ingénue almost innocent self, while John Mawson plays husband
David Lancaster with somewhat of a shrug and a detachment that seems
uncharacteristic for a man of his financial success.
The sum of all the parts is
that the Vortex is the kind of presentation that doesn't come along too
often, boasting a terrific fluid set design by Erin Walley with lighting
by Leigh Allen, exceptional costuming by Shon LeBlanc, flawless acting
and a gripping story that is sure to provide hours of speculative conversation
long after the show is over. Produced by Amanda Eliasch and Vespa
Collaborative.
You have to see this play!
Comments? Write to us at:
Letters@ReviewPlays.Com
Plays through December 14, 2014.
Reservations at: www.plays411.com/vortex
or 323-960-7735
The
Matrix Theatre
7657
Melrose Ave
Los
Angeles, CA 90046
Photo: The McCarthy Photo Studio
