Review

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The Constant Wife hits on a constant theme

By Larry Knowles

April 10, 2006

San Diego--Mrs. Culver, a character in Somerset Maugham’s 1926 play “The Constant Wife,” declares, “Frankness is a very effective screen for one’s thoughts.” And so it is as protagonist Constance Middleton weathers the news of her husband’s infidelity with pert one-liners that are at once candid and devoid of self-pity.

One gets the sense that Constance can’t possibly keep the act up—there must be bile and rage building up inside her. The other characters in the play expect her to blow. In fact, they beg her to do so. But whatever pathos and pain Constance is hiding remains hidden throughout the play.

The marriage isn’t a freshly delivered corpse. It’s a body that’s been out in the elements for a while. Nonetheless, Constance casually recounts the cause of death to her husband with the emotional detachment of a coroner.

Henny Russell shines as Constance, deftly playing the role of the aggrieved wife without grievance. The performance requires her to be emotionally aloof while socially engaging, and Russell manages to win both sympathy and admiration for her character.

Wynn Harmon, as John Middleton, plays the roles of cad and cuckold nicely, though his performance seemed at times overwrought. Some of this is understandable. Much of his time on stage calls for him to play a husband who is not only behaving badly, but acting—as in stage acting—badly.

Harmon’s character also has an annoying idiosyncrasy that disrupts the repartee on stage. In response to his wife’s unwavering support, Middleton declares several times, “You’ve been a brick!” Any time Harmon delivered the line, the audience was thrown off the rhythm of the dialogue. This may be an instance where a director appropriates common usage and substitute “rock,” instead.

Lara Phillips’ performance as Marie Louise was perplexing. She nailed her character’s shallow bimbo personality, but appeared to struggle with the British accent. A few times, the exact location of her London dialect came into question. There must be a suburb somewhere over there called New York.

Kandis Chappell turned in a pitch-perfect performance as Mrs. Culver, Constance’s prudent and sardonic mother. Chappell conveys a patrician confidence and moral uprightness that enables the audience to see where Constance’s inner strength comes from.

J. Paul Boehmer is one dimensional as Constance’s long lost suitor, Bernard Kersal. Boehmer plays the role with an intentional stiffness that grates after a while. His character is supposed to be in love with Constance, and therefore uptight. But his character has also started a business in Japan, so he’s been out of his element before. The fact that a supposedly shrewd international businessman and bachelor would remain so wooden in the presence of a woman is silly. Because of this, he’s one of the least sympathetic characters in the play.

It’s tough to tell just how sympathetic Director Seret Scott wanted the audience to be towards Bernard. If she intended Bernard to be a character foil to Constance’s wit and flair, the gambit succeeded.

The play takes place entirely in the salon of the Middleton estate, and the set design, by Ralph Funicello, captures the sterile quality of a manor with no children, pets,…or intimacy. The costume design, in contrast, is rich and brings out the ego and individuality of the characters.

Maugham’s searing wit and cynical outlook translates well to present day. Lines such as, “She’s a terrible liar, even for a woman,” and “She’s a silly little thing, but that’s what men like,” had audience members cackling in their seats. The dialogue isn’t politically correct, but it is frank. As for the intention behind the lines, hear them for yourself. Maybe they’re intended to be taken at face value.

The Constant Wife

The Old Globe

April 1 through May 7, 2006

619.231.1941

www.oldglobe.org

Larry Knowles is the editor of Vyuz. He can be reached at lgkiii@vyuz.com