Men are all dissemblers, liars, deceivers! Or something like it, so says playwright Hannah Cowley, author of The Belle’s Stratagem. Not to be confused with The Beaux’ Stratagem, by George Farquhar (though if you stick around in a few weeks’ time, you may see exactly that show on The Rude Mechanicals’ stage!) Belle hit Drury Lane in 1780 whereas Beaux debuted quite a few decades before (and at Theatre Royal) in 1707. Keeping up yet? Don’t worry, The Rude Mechanicals have a picto-map for characters both in the lobby of The Greenbelt Arts Center and in your program, along with a synopsis and some explanative points. This production— The Belle’s Stratagem— marks Rude Mechanicals’ technical director, Jeff Poretsky’s directorial debut. Supported by Assistant Director Liana Olear and Assistant to the Director Alan Duda, Poretsky is ready to take the audience through a quirky little comedic response to Farquhar’s Beaux by way of Cowley’s Belle. (Before founding company member Jaki Demarest directs Beaux in April later this year!) Oh and it’s set in the 60’s. The 1960’s, in their continuing nod to Wandavision (previous The Rude Mechanicals production of The Country Wife took place in the 1950’s and The Beaux Stratagem will land itself in the 1970’s.)
The team— Poretsky, Duda, Olear, and Jaki Demarest (the show’s art director)— have come together in a mostly successful attempt to transform the intimate and otherwise banal space of the Greenbelt Arts Center into not one but five separate locations— all built into/onto one fixed set. Four different swanky penthouse-style Manhattan tower apartments, complete with functioning elevator-slide door that lets you right into the living room, and one outside scene on a street corner with a newsstand. The approach the team takes to this is remarkable. The winning technical feature of the production in the flip-n-fold shelving unit mounted up against the walls (which are this garish and yet perfect shade of baby powder blue and pepto pink, offsetting each other in that hideous way that only certain interior stylings of the 1960’s could!) The unit itself starts out closed, appearing as the locked newsstand (catch the Easter egg of their very art-deco poster for The Country Wife mod-podge’d in the beautiful detritus of the newsstand clutter!) but can quickly be flipped open to reveal a wet bar. And then locked up and loaded again to be a two-story bookcase. The lava lamp (authentic-ish 1960’s prop) even changes color schemes depending on whose apartment the scene is in.
That brings us to Poretsky’s concept for the show. Taking the notion of being on a ‘Rude Mechanicals TV’ set (complete with enormous, old-school filming camera, designed and constructed by Wes Dennis) each scene is played out like it’s a sitcom in the 60’s being filmed in front of a live studio audience. (You— theatergoer— are the audience.) And there are four tech-crew hands (Diana Dzikiewicz, Alan Duda, Eric Honour, Liana Olear) who swarm onto ‘set’ between scene changes, with Olear calling out things like ‘and scene— set for Mr. Hardy’s apartment’, and quickly take up the sheets and pillows of the couch, replace them with differentiating and distinguishing accents, change the lava lamp color, change the wall painting, etc. all in a timely, tight manner. These scene changes are overlaid by a lively pianist, Chris Fominaya, vamping through these flash-flips. It’s an impressive feat, one which the quad-crew handles with ease. One of the most impressive scenic shifts in the show happens as these four skitter about in semi-darkness, (Eric Gasior’s lighting design is subtle, ideal for interior, and puts forth a great trick during this one momentous shift) the characters ‘disappear’ into the elevator (with the door open, in full sight of the audience) and the only light on stage is the glowing interior light of the elevator, only to step out onto the street-scene, with the appropriate background scenery and furnishing having been switched in the darkness. It’s a praiseworthy moment to be sure.
Costumes across the board, by way of Designer Spencer Dye, fit the time period, with several being particularly on point for splashy 60’s sitcom styling. And do a good double-take. Recognize that sunshine-plaid-checker-monstrosity-suit on the character of Flutter in this production? (Actor Paul Brinkley, playing the character of Flutter in this production, wore it in the 1950’s-themed as the rousing character Mr. Sparkish.) Dye finds outlandish shades of vibrant orange to be featured on Lady Frances as readily as she outfits the bachelorette— Miss Kitty Ogle— in that broad-candy headband with flip hairstyle, mini go-go boots, and wide belt all in monochrome. Perhaps the most clever thing about the show’s period costumes is not the posh silk-satin dressing-house-bath robe of regal purple seen on Doricourt, but the pop-culture infusion for the Masquerade ball scene. You get everything from Star Trek to Gilligan’s Island and a giant floating eyeball for good measure.
Poretsky keeps the pacing of the show moving along splendidly; between the actual scenes as they occur and the tightly tuned changes, you hardly notice that the show runs just over two hours (and this includes the intermission.) There isn’t much done by way of vocal affectation or accent imitation but you neither miss it nor yearn for it as the cast deliver’s the centuries’ old text with snappy timing, sharp execution, and their own flare that sits the show squarely in the 1960’s where Poretsky envisions it to be.
You’ve got Dick (Megan Poretsky) the elevator bellhop, who has but a few lines here and there, but whose most memorable and completely hilarious responses to other characters are what make her performances noteworthy. There’s a comic ‘hold’ every time Mr. and Mrs. George & Frances Touchwood have a romantic kiss-n-dip. The elevator slides open with the bell clang, Miss Poretsky sees the kiss, immediately claps her fingers over her eyes and does a comedically enhanced full body freeze. It’s the perfect vibe for 1960’s chaste humors.
Then there’s Seville (Gary Brick) and Villers (Peter Orvetti), who are the foils to one another, albeit not directly, with Brick being the protective figure of women’s honor and Orvetti being the sage figure with good counsel to whomever has ears. Though Orvetti and Megan Parlett, who plays the zesty and sparkish widow Racket (though we’ll get to her later) have impeccably timed comedic snaps at one another near the show’s conclusion, hilariously biting and sniping in that high-brow Noel Coward-style way. Both Brick and Orvetti are essential assets to the production; one of them even gets a braided-mop-head for a beard as a certain grey-ish wizard during the masquerade scene!
Knave. Villain. Liar. Dissembler. All the nasty words you can think to politely through at a ne’er-do-well cad; that’s how you find descriptors for the character of Courtall (Lou Clarkewallis.) The garish, rank odes of ‘interest’ that Clarkewallis’ character vulgarly professes to the poor innocent Lady Frances drive that treacherous chunk of side plot along with roaring villainy. And of course Clarkewallis’ character has the most vulgarly bright interior when it comes to Courtall’s apartments. Neon-pop Andy-Warhol print of Marilyn Monroe on the wall, chartreuse-bordering-on-spoiled-highlighter-lemon sheets and pillows; it all reeks of just how odious the character is meant to be!
The aforementioned Lady Frances (Laurel Miller-Sims), is the picturesque ingenue simping and doting upon every blink and breath of her husband Sir George (Peter Eichman.) And it’s because of the nonsense that happens in the plot with these two characters that the awkward and otherwise slightly unnecessary character of Kitty Ogle (Devin Thrasher) gets drawn into the plot. Scheme. Plan. Stratagem! That’s the word! Thrasher plays her part to the letter, serving as good comic sounding wall for the vixen Lady Racket and as a tricky-thrill for other moments in the show. Thrasher has that natural 60’s look about— like someone who stepped clean of the stages of Shout! The Mod Musical, and adds necessary flare to her moments onstage simply by striking a very era-appropriate stance. Miller-Sims and Eichman have a quality chemistry that burbles delicately between them, with Miller-Sims living the epitome of the gooey-eyed ingenue type and Eichman blustering away until his bluster blows over to reveal a softer more sentimental character… at least as far as his wife is concerned.
Let’s not forget the fumbling, befuddled father Mr. Hardy (Nathan Rosen) who could be the absent-minded professor if this were a different production. Forever parsing phrases in slightly obscure riddle-jokes that only he (and the audience) seems to find humorous, he adds a level of subtle intellectual humor to the show, as well as a passing physical hilarity that just seems to fit the overall tone of the performance. Watch for his jig-of-delight near the production’s conclusion; it’s some fancy and enjoyable footwork.
Of all the ridiculous, superfluous, what-is-he-doing-in-this-show-characters, Mr. Flutter (Paul Brinkley) takes the cake…and possibly the ice cream, the gin & fizzy water, and everything else for that matter, when it comes to being extra. The character is literally just there. And it’s hilarious. And we’re here for it. Brinkley delivers over-the-top physical comedy like no other and brings roaring laughter to all watching during the physical chase all around Doricourt’s apartment. He even gets a canned-laugh-applause track for his initial arrival, like a true sitcom star of the time. The Flutter character exists to flit about like a gassy gossip, stirring up nonsense for the sake of amusement and Brinkley does not disappoint in this madcap, marvelous role.
The whole crux of this show’s plot sounds a little like How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days but more flipped on its head. Boy is betrothed to girl from long ago, boy goes off to the continent and lives life, boy comes back and meets girl all grown up and says “eh.” Boy is Doricourt (Wes Dennis.) And girl is Letitia Hardy (Erin Nealer.) Of course, girl goes off the rails, completely incensed, that boy doesn’t fall gaga head-over-heels in love with her. And a whole plot— no— a whole plan— a whole scheme? D’oh! Whole Stratagem! Is devised and off to the races we go. Dennis and Nealer play exceptionally well off one another, despite spending very little scenic time together. Both develop bold characters, which creates for this delightful comedy of errors for the audience— watching them plot and plan against one another without realizing that they’d both just be happier together. Dennis has an exuberant energy while Nealer delivers her mercurial roller coaster of nonsense in spades. When she’s literally tripping over her own to feet to showcase her best awkward self, he’s dashing about like a frantic lunatic and it’s hilarious on both ends. But their flirtations at the masquerade scene are wild to engage with as well.
From the moment she first sets foot on stage, the widow Lady Caroline Racket (Megan Parlett) makes it clear that she is going to be trouble. With the ferocious glitter top and white-flame pleather-collar accent, just the image she creates striding into the scene makes you sense the hilarious sort of foreboding that only a delicious devil’s advocate can bring to a show like this. While it’s arguable that Parlett’s character is a supporting role, it’s equally arguable that without this character’s antics neither of the two conflicts plots of lovers and nonsense would ever get anywhere without her. They’d actually be cute, quaint, and regrettably stagnant. Parlett and the character she plays are literally dynamite. The spicy, fiery zest of Parlett’s red-glimmer couture is but an external extension of her spirited and vivacious personality. Keep your eyes on that one; the Lady Racket character is causing a whole bunch of enjoyable racket all throughout the performance.
It’s a delightful little romp, well-articulated, well-thought out, and well-executed. Cute and comic, The Belle’s Stratagem leaves you wanting eagerly in anticipation for this third installment in TRM’s Wandavision series… The Beaux’ Stratagem.
Running Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission
The Belle’s Stratagem, a Rude Mechanicals Production, plays through February 11th 2023 at Greenbelt Arts Center— 123 Centerway in downtown Greenbelt, MD. For tickets call the box office at 301-441-8770 or purchase them online.
Please note that masks are still required at all times by members of the audience inside Greenbelt Arts Center. No concessions are available for purchase at this time.
