Breaking through 'The Fourth Wall' Breaking through 'The Fourth Wall' (December 05, 2003)

TheatreWorks stages holiday show with a political theme

By Mindy Casillas

Everyone's holiday could use a little humor and dysfunction -- or so thought TheatreWorks Artistic Director Robert Kelley and Managing Director Randy Adams when they chose A. R. Gurney's "The Fourth Wall" as the company' holiday production.

At this time of year, while other theater companies are staging more holiday-themed fare, TheatreWorks is going out on a limb to mount a tongue-in-cheek satire of art and American politics during the George W. Bush administration.

"It explores the conventions that separate people, and even nations, from one another," Kelley said. "Coming at the end of a troubling year, I know it will make us laugh. But I hope it will allow us to think a bit as well."

At its center is the tale of a frazzled suburban woman who rebels against the complacency of her friends, marriage, the government -- even her living room furniture.

Disturbed by the state of current politics and sensing that some sort of audience exists beyond the parameters of her living room, suburbanite housewife Peggy rearranges her living room to assemble a stage set, in the hopes of breaking through to the other side. Her furniture now faces one wall -- the "fourth wall" -- which she has left bare (which is really the audience).

Her husband Roger can't stand it.

Feeling that he needs reinforcement to cope with his wife's lapse in decorating sensibility, Roger requests the aid of an old family friend, Julia, who agrees that Peggy has gone a little haywire. More ponderous still is the tendency of everyone who enters the living room to begin performing as if in a play or even a musical (occasionally someone is compelled to break into a Cole Porter song, and even Julia becomes affected by the room and suggests that Roger put Peggy away to more easily facilitate an affair).

Roger also enlists the help of local theater professor Floyd to come over and help bring Peggy's "play" to a close. But Roger's plan backfires, as Floyd is sympathetic to Peggy's plight and urges her to break the fourth wall in order to get in touch with her feelings.

Jules Aaron directs "The Fourth Wall" (his sixth at TheatreWorks, with previous productions including "Charley's Aunt" and "Far East") and is proud to introduce it to the West Coast for the first time this holiday season. The accomplished director -- a recipient of many distinguished honors, including the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for direction -- points out the timeliness of this production and hopes it will provoke in audiences thoughts of the "theater" of their own lives.

"It's not a holiday show per se, but during a time of reflection at the end of the year, people should think about the roles we all play in our lives -- think about the conventions of stage performance both in theater and life. [This play has] a great deal of passion, humor and joy. Those are all part of the holiday season. It's very magical," Aaron said.

Gurney's work -- which includes "Love Letters" and "Sylvia" -- is often compared to that of novelist John Cheever, Aaron said, with their situational satire often centering around the foibles of the well-bred upper-middle-class and its supposed sophistication -- which usually turns out to be anything but sophisticated. Often, there is a backdrop of war and a collective suburban America angst. His plays are urbane, laced with literary and current-event references, but not too savvy for a general audience.

"[Gurney's] humor tends to be character-driven and very 'situation-y,' not quite as one-liner-humor as Neil Simon," Aaron said.

That's not to say "The Fourth Wall" won't have people laughing out loud, however.

"This is a great show for people looking for entertainment," Aaron said.

The ensemble includes Broadway actresses Kimberly King (who recently completed a turn on Broadway in James Joyce's "The Dead") as Peggy and Suzanne Grodner as Julia (who appeared with Mercedes Ruehl on Broadway in "The Rose Tattoo"), along with TheatreWorks veterans Jackson Davis ("Talley's Folly," "Conversations With My Father") as Roger and Danny Scheie ("As Bees in Honey Drown") as Floyd.

"The Fourth Wall" was originally written in 1992 as a commentary on the policies of the first George Bush administration and was rewritten by the playwright in 2002 to reflect a more updated "George W." sensibility. This revised version of Gurney's play was first seen last year at Primary Stages in New York. TheatreWorks' upcoming production marks the play's West Coast debut.

What: "The Fourth Wall," presented by TheatreWorks. Written by A.R. Gurney, the play features music by Cole Porter.

Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto.

When: A preview performance will take place Friday at 8 p.m. The production will officially open on Dec. 6. Regular show times are Tuesdays (Dec. 9 and 16) at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m. (no performances Dec. 24 and 25); Saturdays at 8 p.m. ; additional 2 p.m. performances on Dec. 13, 20 and 27; Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m., additional 7 p.m. performance on Dec. 28. "The Fourth Wall" runs through Dec. 28. "Visual Voice" audio-described performances will be available Dec. 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 28 at 2 p.m.

Cost: Tickets are $20-$48; discounts available for youth, students, seniors, and members.

Info: For tickets and information, call 903-6000 or visit theatreworks.org

E-mail a friend a link to this story.