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Health & Fitness

Theater Review: 'A Song at Twilight' at Westport Country Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse opened its 2014 season with Noël Coward's A Song at Twilight. Written in 1965, this poignant and melancholy co-production with Hartford Stage resonates with themes that are still relevant today.  Not only does it deal with closeted homosexuality, this important work raises questions about what it means to live authentically, and where do we draw the line between transparency and privacy?  When does a celebrity's life become fodder for the masses to judge and condemn; does anyone have the right to 'out' someone for the sake of the truth? And what is more important to posterity: a person's private character or his or her body of work?

In A Song at Twilight, aging English author and playwright, Sir Hugo Latymer is forced to face his past when, with the blessing of his current wife Hilde, he agrees to meet up with a former flame, Carlotta Gray.  Sir Hugo is both curious and bemused by Carlotta's desire to see him and more than slightly annoyed at the inconvenience of her intrusion into his reclusive hideaway at a lavish Swiss hotel. 

When they first meet, the conversation is all genteel politeness. But after Hilde leaves to visit a friend and give the former lovers some privacy, the classic Coward conversation soon turns from witty and comedic repartee to verbal sparring filled with venomous barbs aimed to wound and maim.  When finally fed up with Carlotta's presence, Sir Hugo demands to know why she came.  She informs him that she is writing her autobiography and asks his permission to publish his love letters to her.  He refuses, and she agrees to return the letters to him.  But before she walks out the door, she informs him that she will return only Hugo's letters to her, but not those that he wrote to the greatest love of his life, a man named Perry Sheldon, who died with no one beside him but Carlotta.

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This is the point where the actors really begin to shine.  Almost before our eyes, we watch Brian Murray, who plays Sir Hugo, transform from a very proper, sophisticated, and respected author to outraged literary lion and then to a shrunken, defeated old man, who in his hurt, anger, and sadly, his shame, cannot grasp the words to defend himself against this female interloper.  The tragedy of his character is written not only on his face, but in his demeanor.  We ache for him when he wistfully and oh so privately recalls his time with Perry, and feel the agony of what it has been like for him to be forced by law and society to deny his true identity behind the facade of 'normalcy.'

Gordana Rashovich effectively plays Carlotta as a hardened, aging actress with a cynical, worldly demeanor.  There is a touch of the sinister about her as the verbal exchanges with Sir Hugo become more heated and we can feel that she will be a dangerous woman to cross. Carlotta vilifies Sir Hugo for not being authentic in his works and for hiding the fact that the greatest love of his life, was in fact a man.  She comes in with this holier-than-thou attitude, claiming to seek justice for the abandoned Perry, and to lay the truth of Sir Hugo's character out for the world to see. But upon further questioning, we learn that beneath her imaginary cloak of virtue lies the heart of a woman scorned.  She wants revenge for losing her innocence to and loving Sir Hugo, for his abandoning her when he grew tired of the affair, and for treating her like a small footnote to his life in his autobiography.  She has nurtured the grudge for many years, and upon obtaining the love letters to Perry,  has found a way to exact her revenge -- by shredding his reputation and repudiating his body of work. 

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Carlotta thinks she has an ally in Hilde for she too, must feel the sting of rejection as the wife of a known homosexual; but it is Hilde who comes back to smooth over the situation. Mia Dillon is perfect as the pragmatic, stalwart, and devoted former secretary and wife of Sir Hugo.  She is Carlotta's opposite. Lacking any traces of physical glamour and drama, she is the picture of practicality and steadfastness. I enjoyed Hilde's comedic turns when she rebuked Sir Hugo's petty abuses while being quite tipsy after her visit with her friend, and breathed a sigh of relief as she helped wage a peaceful settlement between the warring adversaries.  

All of this drama takes place on a set by Alexander Dodge that only hints at wealth and luxury with its chandeliered high ceiling, minimal furniture, and marble statue in the living room.  What is particularly interesting is the use of the towering walls of the suite. They are made to look like the mountainous and remote location of the hotel, further demonstrating the isolated life that Sir Hugo and Hilde lead. 

What makes the set even more remarkable is that during the two brief scenes where Hugo is remembering Perry, their affair is played out behind that backdrop. The diffuse lighting by Matthew Richards gives the tableaux an idealized and dreamlike quality. The actors who represent the younger men move with such balletic grace, that the imagery of their love is truly beautiful.   

With fabulous costumes by Fabio Toblini, hair and makeup by Mark Adam Rampmeyer, and the astute direction of Mark Lamos, this stunning production is an important work that not only entertains, it can spark interesting dialogue and conversation about issues that are still relevant today.  With such a high bar set by A Song at Twilight, I am looking forward to Westport Country Playhouse's remaining shows for the season. 

A Song at Twilight runs through May 17th at Westport Country Playhouse.  For tickets call 203-227-4177 or visit Westport Country Playhouse.


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