‘Boston Marriage’
Anne Marie Houghtailing and Ravenna Fahey in 'Boston Marriage'
David Mamet has written a period parlor comedy. What is the world coming to?
Well, it may be as simple as wanting to silence critics who complain that Mamet doesn’t write good parts for women. With Boston Marriage, he moves from his usual terse, staccato rhythms and gritty, profane exposés of men’s lives and psyches into the Oscar Wilde/Henry James world of verbal fluidity and witty repartee in this play for two extremely verbal women and a maid.
The elegant Anna (Anne Marie Houghtailing) and slightly younger Claire (Ravenna Fahey), who are (or were) involved in a Boston marriage meet after a separation. (The term refers to the Victorian practice of two single women living together for mutual support, which may or may not be sexual.) Claire has come to report that she is in love – and to ask Anna for use of what we today might call “the apartment” for an assignation with the young lady in question.
Anna is a woman of leisure by the grace (and considerable money) of her married male lover. The unseen gentleman has made Anna’s life not only comfortable but beautiful, as indicated by the gorgeous dress and stunning heirloom emerald necklace she wears in the first act. But just as Mamet’s men have a low opinion of women, Anna returns the favor, snarking that men are good for “just the one thing.”
Anna and Claire spend the first act in verbal jousting of this type:
Claire: (Love) is a state sung by the poets.
Anna: So is death, but I don’t see you floating in here proclaiming “I’m dead.”
And there are the wannabe clever comments, like this one from Claire: “I particularly hate it when my teeth begin to chatter because they so seldom have anything to say.”
These exchanges alternate with insults directed at Anna’s defenseless Scottish maid Catherine (Michelle Brooks), whose name and nationality Anna can’t seem to remember (a running joke which wears out its welcome rather quickly).
The first act – about new love, old money and the green-eyed monster – is arch but still amusing to watch, and ends with a startlingly promising line.
Unfortunately, that promise devolves into a just plain silly second act that had some of us checking watches.
Don’t blame the actors. This is a splendid cast, headed by Houghtailing’s beauty, imperious demeanor and ironic delivery – and that spectacular first-act costume, which eliminates the need for mere words about her current involvement.
Fahey’s Claire, walking the line between lover and supplicant, keeps her end of the bargain and gets in some good verbal zingers to boot. And Brooks handles the thankless role of the maid well.
Give Mamet points for attempted versatility, but he really should stick to what he does best: give us access to the high-testosterone world of the male loser.
Boston Marriage plays through November 22, 2009 at Compass Theatre. Shows Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; matinees Saturday at 4 and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets call (619) 688-9210 or visit www.compasstheatre.com.
