Jenny June Fail (Liz Sklar) trains to swim across Lake Michigan in her home with the help of Mortimer Mortimer (Brian Herndon) in the West Coast premiere of Philip Dawkins’ Failure: A Love Story at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, eight shows weekly through June 29.
Failure: A Love Story: Play with music. By Philip Dawkins. Directed by Jasson Minadakis.Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley.(415) 388-5208 orwww.marintheatre.org. June 5 – June 29, 2014.
Failure: A Love Story beautifully staged at Marin Theatre [Rating:3]
Consider it good advice to avoid seeing a play on the day after opening night since those in positions to know state that there is usually an emotional letdown by the cast. Having to miss opening night, a choice was made to attend the second day after the opening of Failure: A Love Story by the Marin Theatre Company. It was a wise decision since the 5 member cast played their hearts out on the intimate stage. However the audience response was deadly silent with only a single person responding to scenes that should elicit at least a polite laugh.
The play is written by Philip Dawkins, an up and coming Chicago playwright who has another play, The Homosexuals that opened at the New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC). Dawkins seems to be fascinated with the concept of time since the play at NCTC goes backward in time starting in 2010 and ending in 2000. In Failure etc we learn early that the Fail sisters, Nelly (Kathryn Zdan), Jenny June (Liz Sklar) and Gertude (Megan Pearl Smith) are going to die. It is 1928 when the fatalities will happen and the story moves back to the turn of the 20th Century.
Before the sisters’ story begins there is a lengthy vaudevillian type sequence where the two males in the cast tell a ridiculous tale of the sisters’ parents ending up in the Chicago River when their new DeSoto car took a wrong turn. The girls inherit the Fail Clock Repair Company and live in the upstairs apartment.
Before the parents leave this world, they discover a male baby in the bulrushes (?) by side of that fateful river. The baby is adopted by the Fails and named John (Patrick Kelly Jones). He just happens to have a small snake clenched in his tiny hands. That little snake eventually grows up becoming a huge friendly Boa Constrictor called Moses.
Dawkins encourages theatres that produce the play to be creative and one production used 30 or so actors. Marin Theatre Company decided to use five live actors using props (Seren Heldy) for the animals that become integrated into the plot. They took on composer and musician Chris Houston to put the play to music and he has added his own composition along with flapper songs of the 1920s such as “In the Good Old Summertime” and “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”. The cast plays a number of instruments including, piano, bass fiddle, violin, ukulele, trombone and drums. I forgot to mention the marvelous Nina Ball set is adorned with clocks of all types and some of them even talk thus proving Dawkins is obsessed with time.
Although we learn early and often that the Fail sisters are going to die by “drowning, consumption, disappearance and blunt objects to the head” it is not a sad tale. They all love their brother John who speaks to animals but has a problem relating to real people and all the girls have a chance to love and be loved although being a bit late each time it happens.
For the love interest we meet Mortimer Mortimer (Brian Herdon) who is brought home by the youngest Nellie. When she meets her demise being hit on the head by a toppling statue Mortimer Mortimer moves in with the family and becomes fast friends with John.
The hyper-active Jenny June takes on Mortimer as her swimming trainer even though he can not swim. Jenny is training to be the first woman to swim across Lake Michigan. It is pointed out that she will be the first since no man has ever undertaken the challenge. Alas, just before reaching the far shore she disappears and is never found.
Next up, through a series of improbable happenstance Gertrude professes love for Mortimer even though she is on her last breath with consumption.
The entire play is acted as high camp with many visual jokes added to inane dialog. All the actors perform brilliantly and adeptly change into the inanimate objects and handle the props for the various animals that include, a dog, the boa and two love birds that are worked into the love angle of the play.
(l to r)Nelly (The youngest), Jenny June (The Midlest) and Gertrude (The eldest)
Director Minadakis keeps the pace at full tilt and adds flourishes that are admirable. The entire production is beautifully mounted but considering Heri Bergson’s relative time the one hour and 45 minute running time without intermission seemed longer on the Thursday night this reviewer attended.
Production Staff: Directed by Jasson Minadakis; Composer Music Director & Sound Designer Chris Houston; Choreographer Kathryn Zdan; Scenic Designer Nina Ball; Lighting Designer York Kennedy; Costume Designer Jacqueline Firkins; Stage Manager Elisa Guthertz; Properties Artisan Seren Heldy; Dramaturg Margot Melcon; Assistant Dramaturg Julianna Reese.
Cast: Brian Herndon as Mortimer Mortimer, Patrick Kelly Jones as John Fail, Liz Sklaras Jenny June Fail, Megan Pearl Smith as Gertrude Fail and Kathryn Zdan as Nelly Fail.
Kedar K. Adour, MD
Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.
