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Regional Reviews: St. Louis The Curious Savage
In this two and a half hour comedy by John Patrick, there are scads of borderline "cutesy" moments that can balance with a darker undertone. Bell puts a happy face on it and still manages to create miraculous magic in the play's short third act, which makes it all worthwhile. Till then, the production (with two short intermissions) often lacks a "falling sensation" of genuine psychological disorientation, for a play that's set in a mental asylum. But the whole cast is so enjoyable (led by Liz Mischel as Ethel P. Savage) that we are regularly reassured, by meticulous moments of dispatch and delivery, of their eventual success. In this decidedly anti-Bergmanesque production, Lindsey Grojean dances off with most of our praise, disappearing into the role of Fairy May, a would-be ballerina with the eerily believable affect of a little girl. Camille Fensterman is her polar opposite, fiercely brooding as Miss Paddy, another resident in what resembles a modern day group-home setting. In the beginning, the wealthy Mrs. Savage is being committed to the asylum by her wicked stepchildren, very broadly played by a trio of fantastic actors, Sarajane Clark, Matt Anderson, and Joseph Garner. As her grown children, they smile not at all. But they chew director Bell's set with real distinction. Going the other way, in terms of scale of performance, Claire Coffey is delightful as the ward nurse. She's effortlessly touching in the show's final moments. And David Wassilak brings great intelligence to the role of the home's director, Dr. Emmett. The spot-on costumes are by Colleen Michelson. The script has at least eight or ten lovely reflective moments, before a picture-perfect fade-out, including points where a character's off-handed remark becomes deeply intriguing. But two or three of those dark hidden meanings seem to have been deported beyond the proscenium's piteous arc. Nevertheless, Ms. Mischel shines as the eccentric, restorative force within. She sternly limits her own proud stable of comic instincts in some ways, as Mrs. Savage, but they come out freshly in others. And with respect to the overall anti-tragic tone, as Dr. Emmett says, the long-term residents we see here are already nearly ready for release anyway. But I always say (essentially) the same thing: to me a lot of shows cry out for a sharper sense of brokenness. A sense that you've just discovered you've made some horrible mistake. Or that you've become the hunted man, caught in the headlights of a police car. It's the only thing I have in common with Alfred Hitchcock. The twenty-something performer listed in the program as Gansner has that desperate quality in spades as Hannibal, a former statistician. Tyson Cole also does very well (as always) conjuring pathos as the guilt-ridden survivor of a World War II air force crash. And Anne Vega nicely rounds out the cast as Florence, warm and supportive with, like Mrs. Savage, a seemingly benign attachment to a stuffed toy. The Curious Savage, produced by Stray Dog Theatre, runs through February 22, 2025, at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue, St. Louis MO. For tickets and more information, please visit www.straydogtheatre.org. Cast (in order of appearance): Production Staff: |
