OR, a play by Liz Duffy Adams, co-directed by Keelie A. Sheridan and Jorge Luna, starring Alexandria Watts, Ryan Cupello, and Anna Fernandez. 9/12 – 28 Thur-Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun Matinees at 2:00. Presented by Irish Classical Theatre Company (ICTC) 716-853-4282 irishclassical.com
RUNTIME: 1 hour, 40 minutes without intermission
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Although based on historical British figures active in the 1660s, the time of the “Restoration” and the reign of the randy Charles II, OR is entirely understandable for modern audiences. No prior knowledge or dramaturgy required. For background the publicity states: “Sprung from debtors’ prison after a disastrous overseas mission, Aphra Behn is desperate to get out of the spy trade. She has a shot at a production at one of only two London theatre companies if she can finish her play by morning. But she’s thwarted by interruptions from sudden new love, actress Nell Gwynne; complicated royal love, King Charles II; and very dodgy ex-love, double-agent William Scot – who may be in on a plot to murder the king. Can Aphra save Charles’ life, win William a pardon, resist Nell’s charms, and launch her career, all in one night?” Well, she’s the female Shakespeare, so if anyone can, she can. For more on the play, read Daniel Lendzian’s preview here.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: An absolute delight from start to breathless finish, OR keeps alive the Irish Classical Theatre’s reputation as one of the finest producing houses as it updates its repertoire, walking that fine line of appealing to both its established season ticket holders and the younger audiences that will ensure the theater’s longevity. For more on the direction, Artistic Director Keelie A. Sheridan shared some thoughts with Buffalo Rising’s Daniel Lendzian (podcast included) here.
If you loved last season’s DORIAN as much as I did (I saw it twice), OR is a worthy second bite at those non-stop high-wire English language acrobatics and stage maneuvers. Like DORIAN, we have only three actors playing multiple characters, and they do it so well. Now, if you didn’t care for DORIAN, I can assure you that the on-stage sex scenes are more delicate and the characters are more well-delineated, so OR is easier to follow. And, for ICTC fans, OR has many of the favorite elements of British farce, including, but not limited to: upending class distinctions, a clever and wily servant, multiple doors, a closet to hide in, and split-second timing (including applause-worthy costume changes).
The direction is sure and precise, which you might not think would work with two directors, but it does. At one of the two performances of OR that I saw, during a talk-back, Keelie A Sheridan, who is married to Jorge Luna, explained that Jorge’s background is more in language and her background is more in dance and movement, so that they complement each other’s efforts. At the Irish Classical, precision of speech is paramount but in a theater in the round setting, constant movement (made to look natural) is a requirement. This production sounds good and looks good.
It’s not quite 100% in the round, though, because as they have recently for BELFAST GIRLS, THE PRICE, THE FITZGERALDS OF ST. PAUL, and DORIAN, to name a few, the theater has been slightly reconfigured so that the southern wall is part of the stage, making it more of a thrust stage than a true theater in the round. All the better to provide devices for farcical entrances and exits.
But all of this, the stage, the props, the costumes, the direction, the script, it all comes down to the actors, and you’ll see three stunning performances. It’s worth noting that all three are UB theater majors, each one a former student of ICTC co-founder, the late, great Vincent O’Neill. If there’s a heaven, I’m sure that Vincent is smiling at what he helped create.
We actually get seven characters, because two of the actors “triple up” as each creates three very memorable characters. On stage for the whole show, with two brief exceptions, is Alexandria Watts as the poet who would be playwright, Aphra Behn. Within minutes, during her opening monologue, Watts has the audience in the palm of her hand. The first appearance of the protean Ryan Cupello is as the working-class jailer, who will fairly quickly reappear as the one-time landed gentleman but now a spy on the run, William Scot, and then as the re-established royal, the King of England, Charles II. Each character looks, walks, and talks completely differently.
Equally at home in her three characters is Anna Fernandez as the wily housekeeper, the ravishing actress Nell Gwynne, and theater manager Lady Davenant. At both performances I saw, Lady Davenant’s monologue received show-stopping applause. But in all three of her roles, Fernandez had the audience in her thrall. She obviously loved her characters and the audience loved her back.
If you’re feeling these days that you’re living a dull and common life, I’d recommend getting over to the Irish Classical Theatre because you will love this play. To quote the real Aphra Behn: “Each moment of a happy lover’s hour is worth an age of dull and common life.”
Now, I know that I said that you don’t need any history to enjoy the play, but it might be more fun to know that in the 1660s, London’s theatrical world was dominated by two officially sanctioned companies, both established shortly after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660:
There was The King’s Company, managed by: Thomas Killigrew, whose patron was King Charles II, and they focused on traditional drama, including works by Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. And one of their key actors, now that women were allowed on stage, was Nell Gwynne.
And there was The Duke’s Company, managed by Sir William Davenant upon whose death his wife, Lady Davenant, decided to enjoy some of the freedoms afforded by The Restoration and to run the theater herself. They were more experimental, embracing new plays (and new playwrights such as Aphra Behn). Their patron was James, Duke of York (later King James II) who was in fact, Charles II’s younger brother. I don’t think there’s a play about the two brothers and their rival theaters, but there should be!
The title, OR, comes from the fondness of Restoration playwrights to use the “Title, or Explanatory Subtitle” format, for example Aphra Behn’s 1677 play “The Rover; or, The Banish’d Cavaliers.”
To sum, OR is, in short, one of the best shows I’ve seen, and I hope that you can make it before, like DORIAN, it sells out.