Pinter's The Birthday Party, written in 1957, played for all of six days in its inaugural 1958 London run, and has the dubious distinction of being performed for an audience of only six patrons during the Thursday matinee performance. The critics' response matched the one at the box office, with a single yet notable exception -- Harold Hobson of the (London) Sunday Times risked his reputation by stating that Pinter "on the evidence of this work, possesses the most original, disturbing and arresting talent in theatrical London." Hobson went on to predict that the play "will be heard again."
Hobson's prescience is startling, as The Birthday Party, which was Pinter's first full-length play, went on in subsequent years to far greater heights of acclaim, though the work has always been regarded as an enigmatic comedy of menace and psychological terror. It is perhaps this unfathomable quality that often makes it at once difficult to perform and unsettling to witness. For an audience that expects a full exposition of motivation behind the action of each character on stage, the play raises a multitude of unanswered questions. But this apparent weakness is also its greatest strength, as we can concoct our own answers to the questions raised by the interaction of characters and the unfolding story line.
Thus the Washington Shakespeare Company's current repertory production of The Birthday Party is a bold offering for its inaugural season at the Clark Street Playhouse. This polished production shows the Company was up to the challenge, with a robust aesthetic quality to spare.
Stanley Webber (played by Michael Comlish), a lodger in the English seaside rooming house of Meg (Rena Cherry Brown) and Petey Boles (Richard Mancini), seems not to have left it since he arrived sometime in the previous year. Two mysterious and unsavory characters -- Goldberg (Brian Hemmingsen) and McCann (Christopher Henley) -- arrive, viciously interrogate him, break his eyeglasses, brainwash him, and force him to a complete breakdown -- after which he is reduced to babbling incoherence -- then take him away with them "to Monty." In the course of the half day that transpires onstage, Goldberg has an affair with Lulu (Nanna Ingvarsson), a neighbor, but he and McCann reject her when her presence interrupts their activities with Stanley. Pinter does not reveal why Stanley is in the lodging house or why the intruders do what they do.
Brian Hemmingsen's portrayal of the loquacious Goldberg is perfect in its subtle blend of the sinister inquisitor and the platitude-spraying buffoon. As his henchman McCann, Christopher Henley is believably scary, with a body language that reminds us of the thugs and goonsquads of all time. Rena Cherry Brown plays Meg with the required "once belle-of-the ball" innocence, but adds to the role a generous dose of her own mannerisms that heighten the comedic entertainment and provide foil to the undercurrent of terror. As her deck-chair-attendant husband Petey, Richard Mancini handles this subtle, difficult supporting role with disarming competence. Michael Comlish's portrayal of the disheveled former pianist and principal victim in the play is similarly outstanding in expressing the wide range of emotions required by the situation he faces. Nanna Ingvarsson plays Lulu with seductive charm and her skillful comedic timing comes as needed relief to the increasingly menacing tenor of the action.
Here is a play that works at many levels and a production that facilitates the complexity without sacrificing the only marginal credibility Pinter provides. While rich in possible symbolism and symbolic action (though no two observers could ever agree on the meaning of each symbol), it is rather in the brilliant Pinteresque use of language -- generous use of non-sequiturs and rhythmic clusters of word associations and permutations -- that serves as the weaponry of this conflict. When Goldberg and McCann circle around the pitiful Stanley in the emotionally charged brainwashing scene, it is a ritualistic dance of words that is choreographed precisely and effectively by director Dorothy Neumann, whose orchestration of the entire production is highly sensitive and visually appealing.
My only complaint had nothing at all to do with the production but rather with the theater itself -- the heater fan on that cold November Friday kept me from hearing some of the dialogue when it was spoken at extreme stage right. I think I'd rather have kept my overcoat on in complete silence. But this minor annoyance was in no way enough to diminish the power and entertainment of this gritty production. Now I can't wait to see the other half of the WSC tandem repertory offering, A Streetcar Named Desire, featuring many of the same cast members.
For information and reservations for any of the following shows during The Washington Shakespeare Company's 1995-96 season call (703) 418-4807 or 4808. The Washington Shakespeare Company's 1995-96 season includes: