A Dazzling Production of Marcus Gardley's The House That Will Not Stand

Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Tiffany Rachelle Stewart and Lizan Mitchell

Beartrice's prosperous white live-in, Lazare, has just died, maybe suspiciously, and now she has to secure the future of their teenage daughters. In 1836 Beartrice is dependent on the French customs surrounding "plaçage," which was the legal practice in the 18th and 19th century of "placing" free women of color with white lovers, even though they could not be legally married. If the men died they would inherit grand houses and astounding fortunes. However, that system is dying as the new American system of laws will not permit the mistress of color to inherit anything. Beartrice realizes that she and her children will soon be second class citizens, so she is planning to seek the children's freedom in Paris; however, the mistress is now left to fend for herself and her children with rivals entering into the plot to obtain the deceased Lazare's wealth and house.

The House That Will Not Stand has many subplots, some that are not fully developed and some that are hilarious and sharply written, especially those with Madame La Veuve, Beartrice's bitter rival for the house. There is an excellent subplot of the older daughter Agnes who has received a love letter from a clandestine devotee who will be at an upcoming ball where "placers" are meant to meet their future lovers. She is determined to get to this ball. A beautiful subplot involving the household slave Makeda is one of the highlights of the comedy/drama.

The production is exquisitely directed by Patricia McGregor and features a splendid cast of non-local actresses, with the exception of local actor Ray Reinhardt who is a wonderfully vibrant, dogmatic corpse who "comes to life" in two beautifully crafted scenes.

Harriett D. Foy is dynamic in the role of Makeda. With a powerful voice, she is abruptly witty with her earthly truth-telling of what is occurring in New Orleans at the time of the play. It's a tour de force of brilliant acting. Lizan Mitchell is splendid playing Beartrice with wonderful panache and a sharp tongue, especially in the confrontations with rival La Veuve, played excellently by Petronia Paley. Paley also morphs nicely into Marie, a tormented daughter whom Beartrice has hidden away. Joniece Abbott-Pratt as the youngest daughter Odette, an incurable romantic, and Flor De Liz Perez as the pious and maudlin middle daughter Maude Lynn give engaging performances. Tiffany Rachelle Stewart is enthralling as Agnes, the impetuous older daughter who is eager to go to the ball.

McGregor's direction is smooth and sharp, and she has also choreographed an exciting African dance. Antje Ellerman has designed a splendid detailed 1840s New Orleans style set with the daughter's bedroom on the second floor. Costumes by Katherine O'Neill are opulent and lighting by Russell H. Champa is bright and cheery.

Marcus Gardley masterfully weaves the basic plot with cynical humor, inspired poetry, song and elements of a voodoo ritual. This production will move to the Yale Repertory Theatre on April 18 and run through May 10th.

The House That Will Not Stand has been extended through March 23rd at the Berkeley Repertory's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley. For tickets call 510-647-2918 or visit www.berkeleyrep.org. Coming up next is Dario Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist opening on March 7 and running through April 20th at the Roda Theatre of Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

The Speakeasy is the Cat's Pajamas

Please pardon the 1920s reference, but that's what I thought after leaving the innovative production of The Speakeasy. In other words, the production is fantastic.

You can always count on the Boxcar Theatre and Nick A. Olivera to come up with very interesting productions. Several years ago, he did a production of Clue in which the audience sat high above the stage to witness actors on a giant game board moving about; in the recent production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch the theatre was turned into a nightclub with singing in all parts of the space.

This $200,000 speakeasy is by far Olivera and co-scenic designer Geoffrey Nolan's biggest production, with 35 actors in three rooms of the speakeasy, which includes an illicit bar with a player piano playing Roaring Twenties music; a crooked casino where for $10 you can get $2000 worth of chips; and a cabaret with a chanteuse (Nikola Printz), five chorus girls, and two comics (Will Trichon and Benny Singer), who were forerunners of the kind of humor that Abbott and Costello perfected in the 1950s. There are songs from the '20s that are still sung, like "My Blue Heaven," "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "You're the Cream in My Coffee," and some I have never heard, like "Until the Town Went Dry" and "Moon Shine Over the Moonshine."

The Speakeasy has actors scattered throughout the space, each telling separate stories, speaking in '20s style dialogue. Some of the stories one overhears involve: two old war buddies named Dick and Harry who are in the early twenties and have come to the speakeasy on the anniversary of their return from World War 1; married couple Ruth and George from Livermore who are still grief-stricken over their son's demise in the Big War and are now trying to find the saloon girl he left behind; Tom, an educated man in his forties who is a regular at the bar; Evelyn and Herman, a recent married young couple who are going through a rough patch; and Harold, a married man with children and a closeted homosexual who meets Eugene, who is not gay.

If you wish, during your three hour visit, you can follow one of these couples from room to room to get the complete story but I found it difficult to do with so many characters playing floozies, bootleggers and degenerate gamblers, not to mention the show going on in the cabaret continuously. The Dick and Harry storyline seems to be the most interesting since they talk about fighting in the trenches. Tom gives his opinion of politics, sports and technology of the late '20s. I also witnessed the story of Archie, Katherine and Sarah: Archie brings his 13-year-old daughter Sarah into the speakeasy so he can drink and gamble. Young Sarah is very outgoing, so she starts to sing and dance for everyone while her father is gambling. Suddenly, Katherine the mother comes in and, mid-song, slaps her child while condemning the patrons for allowing this child to entertain us.

The Speakeasy is a brilliant theatrical experience and the mechanism works very well, thanks to Nick A. Olivero, co-director Peter Rocco, and co-scenic designer Geoffrey Nolan. This is the kind of place that "Texas" Guinan, who ran a speakeasy on 54th Street in Manhattan, would be at home. It is hoped that this can be a permanent tourist attraction like Beach Blanket Babylon. Currently, it will run through April 26th with tickets $70 each. The address is revealed after the ticket purchase. For more information, visit www.thespeakeasysf.com.

- Richard Connema