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Regional Reviews: New Jersey The Royal Family Also see Bob's review of Ever After
The setting is the duplex apartment of three generations of the histrionic and flamboyant Cavendish family. Matriarch Fanny Cavendish, widow of the great Shakespearean actor Aubrey Cavendish, has not tread the boards in more than a year due to illness, but she is planning a national tour for her return to the stage. Julie Cavendish, her Broadway diva divorcee daughter Julie, is about to have a reunion with Gilbert Marshall, whom she had refused to marry nineteen years earlier. Marshall has returned from Central America where his platinum mines have made him very wealthy. Her daughter Gwen Cavendish, who is a young actress in the throes of achieving stardom, is, heaven forbid, thinking of marrying Perry Stewart, a society type, young stock broker, and giving up her career. Their manager Oscar Wolfe is producing a new play for Julie and Gwen. The author is in New York and, at his request, Wolfe has set up a meeting at his office to allow the author to read the play to the cast. This important meeting will wreak havoc with Julie's reunion with Gil, and a luncheon which Perry's mother is making for Jill. Furthermore, Julie's reprobate womanizing movie star brother Tony Cavendish descends upon them fleeing Hollywood, the press, and process servers after assaulting the director of the film he has been making. It seems that Tony had seduced the director's girlfriend for whom the director had obtained a role in the film. Also contributing to the mayhem is Fanny's actor brother Herbert Dean and his out of her league, competitive actress wife Kitty. Dean, whose once shining career is at its nadir, wants Wolfe to produce a play which he blindly hopes will restore his luster. To a certain extent, siblings Tony and Julie Cavendish were based upon the legendary John and Ethel Barrymore. At the least, Ethel angrily thought so. Today, The Royal Family is a period piece whose greatest appeal is to those who feel nostalgic for an era when the theatre had widely idolized stars who played in theatres throughout the country and whose esteem was almost entirely based on extended careers in the theatre. And whose "managers" were simpatico individuals and not large corporations. The play is at its best when populated by iconic actors who can burnish their own images with over the top diva-like performances. Still, Shakespeare Theatre and its first-rate repertory company offer a production that is more entertaining. Elizabeth Shepherd touches us by capturing Fanny's palpable love for the stage and its audiences. Roxanna Hope most amusingly captures much of the diva-like lunacy of Julie, although there is more poignancy in the role than she manages to project. Samantha Bruce is convincing as a younger version of Julie, leaving no doubt where her heart will take her. Benjamin Sterling nicely goes through the farcical paces of the beleaguered and beleaguering Tony. Ultimately, Edmond Genest as Oscar Wolfe tugs at our heart strings when it is time to reveal his deep feelings for the theatrical giants whom he enables. However, earlier on, I would have liked for Genest to strive for a feistiness to counter the antics of his charges. Matt Sullivan (Herbert) and Allison Mackie (Kitty) lend strong, accurate support. Director Bonnie Monte is a bit off her game here. The farcical action and pace could be richer and faster, and the blocking is awkward and deprives several seating areas from clear viewing for various scenes. There is a cast of 14 in 15 roles, and there is complex movement. With additional performances, at least the pacing is likely to have improved. The two-tiered set by Charles Murdock Lucas is large, solid, and has all the doorways and alcoves that one could imagine. However, it is also dull green with wooden accents and is sparse in design elements to suggest the flamboyance and theatricality of its occupants. Furthermore, both the set and the stage furnishings add measurably and literally to the blocking problems. It is good to have the Cavendish family, that is The Royal Family, back on stage again. The Royal Family continues performances (Evenings: Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday 7:30 PM; Thursday - Saturday 8 PM/ Matinees: Saturdays & Sundays 2 PM)through June 21, 2015, at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, on the campus of Drew University, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940. Box Office: 973-408-5600, online: www.shakespeareNJ.org. The Royal Family by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber; directed by Bonnie J. Monte Cast |
