Theater Review: Merrimack Rep strikes 'Delicate Balance'
It would be hard to see Merrimack Repertory Theatre's production of Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance" and not come away with some sense of the seismic shifts that have occurred in society since 1966 when the play first opened on Broadway.
This is a play in which the extremely well-heeled Agnes and Tobias strive to preserve the delicate balance of their comfortable and rather airless Connecticut lives. The balance is threatened by Agnes' alcoholic sister Claire, who lives with them; their daughter Julia, who comes home after her fourth divorce; and their friends Harry and Edna, who have decided to move in with them, although uninvited, because of some profound terror they feel but can't quite define. For an evening anyway, Tobias and Agnes' elegant home becomes kind of a dysfunctional commune fueled by alcohol.
It's not that people today aren't struggling to preserve their own delicate balance or don't have even greater reasons to feel profound terror that might cause them to move in with their friends. The seismic shift lies in the fact that few people today, even the very wealthy, are able to live in as much of an isolated cocoon as Agnes and Tobias do. And life has become so challenging and open that it would be more natural today to welcome home a 36-year-old daughter whose marriage is on the rocks or take in friends who need comfort and care. Yet outside of the confines of a play, most people who are in desperate need, at any period, probably wouldn't act quite as entitled as Claire, Julia, Harry and Edna do.
It's as if Albee captured a key moment in American history when those with deep needs first came crashing into the perfectly ordered lives of the upper crust and demanded that they give up their comforts to help them. Although the phenomenon continues, it has never been quite so dramatically shocking as it was in the mid-1960s.
The Merrimack Rep has done a real service by producing a play that not only won Edward Albee his first of three Pulitzer prizes but that helps us to feel this subtle but significant shift that has occurred in society. (Albee was denied a Pulitzer for what everyone agrees is his best play - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - but perhaps in compensation he was given one later for "A Delicate Balance," which is a drier and less emotionally raw piece.)
Charles Towers has done such a superb job of casting the show, directing the actors, and hiring Bill Clarke to design an appropriately elegant set that it makes it possible to really feel the tension in this play. This is a far superior production to the one that Trinity Repertory Company mounted almost exactly a year ago in Providence, R.I.
All of the actors in this production have appeared in multiple Broadway shows. The combined experience really shows. It allows the actors to handle Albee's complex, sophisticated, often literate lines with great ease, as they land their punches with stinging wit while retaining the layers of sadness, and in some cases reserve, beneath it.
Jennifer Harmon as Agnes is excellent at being the fulcrum of the delicate balance and the matriarch of the family, always in control. It's a tough role, since she's the least lovable of a mostly unlovable set of characters. Jack Davidson's Tobias is so recognizable as the older, successful businessman presiding over the bar, keeping his feelings in check, while occasionally allowing glimpses of them until they explode at the end.
The real dynamo of the evening is Penny Fuller's Claire, the alcoholic sister who's quick to say exactly what's on her mind and what exposes just how imperfect the balance actually is. She's the easiest character to love and identify with. Fuller more than lives up to her shocking red sweater in a sea of otherwise very muted colors in the costumes and set.
Gloria Biegler's Julia is also a pleasure to watch as she melts down at the notion that her parents' friends receive priority over her as they take over her childhood bedroom. Biegler is fabulous at defending the bar from everyone and later coming downstairs with a gun.
Ross Bickell as Harry has just the right touch in being a little too chummy with his friend Tobias as he takes over Tobias' place at his own bar. And Jill Tanner as Edna, Harry's wife, exudes an air of entitlement that's so preposterous it's funny as she and Harry move into their friends' home.
Towers has done a masterful job of melding the actor's performances and keeping them true to the play. Bill Clarke's set - a dark-hued living room, heavy with drapes and reflecting Agnes' and Tobias' considerable wealth but with New England reserve - is exactly what's needed.
This is not necessarily the most entertaining play nor does it leave you with a lot. Its dry, reserved world is a bit too claustrophobic by today's standards, but there's pleasure in watching large cracks being made in it. And even more pleasure in watching the play being given such a polished, professional production - in the year that Albee turns 80 - that you might just think you're at a Broadway show.
WHAT: "A Delicate Balance" by Edward Albee
WHEN: Through April 6
WHERE: Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 50 East Merrimack St., Lowell
COST: $26 to $56; Discounts for seniors and students
INFO: 978-654-4678; www.merrimackrep.org