THEATER REVIEW: Absurd Person Singular at Barrington Stage Company
Theater
Absurd Person Singular
By Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by Jesse Berger
(Mainstage, Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, Mass., $15-$56)
A Barrington Stage Company production of a play in three acts
Julia Coffey as Jane
Christopher Innvar as Geoffrey
Graeme Malcolm as Ronald
Robert Petkoff as Sidney
Henny Russell as Marion
Finnerty Steeves as Eva
Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck
[PITTSFIELD, Mass.] It’s Christmas in 1973, somewhere in England, and Jane Hopcroft is scrubbing, scrubbing her already spotless kitchen—the turquoise, red, and white color scheme accented with bright yellow curtains is so early ’70s—for the cocktail party that is about to begin.
The new Barrington Stage Company production of Alan Ayckbourn’s wickedly witty play, Absurd Person Singular, takes place on three successive Christmas Eves, the same three married couples gathering each year, but with a noticeable change in their circumstances. Under the expert direction of Jesse Berger, this marvelous ensemble cast delivers an evening of very funny comedy with an edgy shadow of angst lurking in the wings.
Jane, played by Julia Coffey, is singing Christmas songs to hide her nerves; her husband Sidney has invited very important guests, and everything must be perfect. Coffey as Jane is adorable, with a flip hairdo and a vivid pa
rty dress under her apron. Coffey has a real gift for physical comedy and her sweet, somewhat clueless Jane is delightful. Her husband, Sidney, comes in, dapper in a plaid sportcoat and slicked-back hair. Robert Petkoff is wonderful as Sidney; he knows how to play broad comedy, and he is very, very funny, trying to be at his ease hosting the local banker even though he is socially out of his depth.
rty dress under her apron. Coffey has a real gift for physical comedy and her sweet, somewhat clueless Jane is delightful. Her husband, Sidney, comes in, dapper in a plaid sportcoat and slicked-back hair. Robert Petkoff is wonderful as Sidney; he knows how to play broad comedy, and he is very, very funny, trying to be at his ease hosting the local banker even though he is socially out of his depth.
There is a great bit of schtick as Jane, unable to find the tonic water she knows she purchased for the party, decides to run to the store before anyone notices she is gone, a trip that requires an enormous yellow slicker and outsize Wellies—and of course she gets locked out in the rain while the party goes on without her. Coffey manages to be hilarious and poignant at the same time.
Henny Russell is ter
rific as Marion Brewster-Wright, her elegant suit and tasteful jewelry declaring her a lady who lunches, but with an ever-present glass of gin. Her husband, Ronald is portrayed by Graeme Malcolm, who pulls off the stiff British banker perfectly, only to emerge as one of the more likeable characters in the group. Russell and Malcolm are droll, with razor-sharp comic timing; the pair are a perfect foil for the Hopcrofts.
rific as Marion Brewster-Wright, her elegant suit and tasteful jewelry declaring her a lady who lunches, but with an ever-present glass of gin. Her husband, Ronald is portrayed by Graeme Malcolm, who pulls off the stiff British banker perfectly, only to emerge as one of the more likeable characters in the group. Russell and Malcolm are droll, with razor-sharp comic timing; the pair are a perfect foil for the Hopcrofts.
Geoffrey and Eva Jackson are the third couple; he’s a successful architect, she’s a fashionable artsy-type. Christopher Innvar is Geoffrey, charming and ingratiating as the lady-killer in the group. Finnerty Steeves is his wife, Eva, 
who, at first, seems to have accepted her husband’s roving behavior. In the second act, which takes place at the Jackson apartment, Steeves is just brilliant as the rejected wife; her performance is absolutely hilarious and quite moving at the same time. Innvar and Steeves have a comic partnership that is at its best in the most slapstick moments. An attempt at defenestration is particularly humorous.
who, at first, seems to have accepted her husband’s roving behavior. In the second act, which takes place at the Jackson apartment, Steeves is just brilliant as the rejected wife; her performance is absolutely hilarious and quite moving at the same time. Innvar and Steeves have a comic partnership that is at its best in the most slapstick moments. An attempt at defenestration is particularly humorous.
This play is laugh-out-loud comical all the way through, and at the same time, it is liberally laced with the tragic follies of relationships and life. It is Ayckbourn’s genius as a writer that he can pull this off, and a credit to the skill of Jesse Berger and his cast that they have put together a truly funny evening of poignant, real moments from three flawed marriages.
Jo Winiarski gives us fantastic sets, three different kitchens that illustrate the three couples perfectly, and the costumes by Sara Jean Tosetti are spot-on. The sound design is well done, too, with a large baying hound and a fourth couple we never see, but definitely hear.
The third act, in the crumbling, freezing, once-handsome Victorian that is home to the Brewster-Wrights, brings the three couples together once again, in one of the most comical--and sad--holiday gatherings imaginable.
Absurd Person Singular is a masterful piece of British comedy, a show that, in order to work, needs absolute precision in the performances and in the direction. Jesse Berger and his stellar cast really deliver the goods.
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Set design, Jo Winiarski; Costume design, Sara Jean Tosetti; Lighting design, Peter West; Sound design, Brad Berridge; Assistant director, Kristen van Gindhoven; Production stage manager, Renee Lutz
(Through August 29; running time two and a half hours with two intermissions)
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