Having seen the 1934 ‘Twentieth Century’ with John Barrymore and Carole Lombard and the 1978 Broadway musical ‘On the Twentieth Century,’ both based on the original play written by Charles Millholland, I was eager to see Theatre Palisades’ production. The plot revolves around Oscar Jaffe (Donald Heath), who discovers actress Lily Garland (AnnaLisa Erickson) and makes her a star by putting her in his Broadway productions. They became a romantic item but, alas, their big egos interfere sending Garland to Hollywood, where she becomes even more successful. Jaffe stays in New York, and starts producing flop after flop, including his most recent ‘Joan of Arc.’ His financial situation is dire and the only way he can stop his downhill slide is to sign Garland for his next production. Jaffe intends to accomplish that in the 16 hours it takes for the Twentieth Century Unlimited train to get from Chicago to New York. Garland, who now has a boyfriend as well as an ‘Oscar,’ has no intention of signing with him. Screwball comedies don’t have the luxury of slowly unfolding events, characters and action like dramas. The pacing has to be tight and fast. The first act of the Palisades’ production was slow and at times tedious, which is a shame because Erickson plays the diva to a tee. She is the epitome of a spoiled star who is used to getting exactly what she wants. Her counterpart Heath, with a strange, slightly crazed look in his eyes, was equally believable as the egotist who drove her off and now wants her back. Susannah Myrvold, who has a minor role as the girlfriend of a married doctor, has that interesting on-stage charisma that causes your eyes to focus on her, even when she’s not in the center of the action. Another actor who deserves mention is Brett Erickson, who plays Garland’s agent. He has a nice presence and with stronger directing could’ve had more fun with the role. Sherry Coon, who in addition to designing costumes also directed the show, is to be commended for her choice of costumes, especially Garland’s and Myrvold’s. They were stylish and evoked an earlier time. The set is problematic; it looks like two hotel rooms and a lobby, rather than giving theatergoers the feel of a train. Since it is a period piece, the set should also take theatergoers back to the 1930s. When the action is focused in one room, actors in the lobby pretend to talk to each other, which becomes annoying. Perhaps focusing the lights strictly on one part of the set and darkening the other would take care of that irritating problem. Some of the staging was extremely clumsy; two different situations come to mind. In both cases, in different rooms and at different times, the staging seemed to be exactly the same. In the first case, the doctor and girlfriend started making out on a chaise lounge causing one to fall off. That same scenario seemed to be repeated with Gantry and her agent George Smith (Brett Erickson). I found myself drawn to the awkward positioning and the adjusting of costumes, rather than listening to dialogue. Stronger direction would’ve helped actors fine-tune their timing, which in comedies is everything. Waiting that beat between set-up and delivery is essential, and there were many jokes that went by the audience because of rushed delivery. In a community filled with ‘Hollywood’ people, I’m surprised that more of the truly talented and artistic people who live here don’t become involved on some level with Theatre Palisades. The play runs through February 16, Pierson Playhouse at 941 Temescal Canyon Blvd., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets call (310) 454-1970 or visit www.theatrepalisades.org.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
