BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT, 4 May 2000
by Russell Bouthiller

THE RIDE DOWN MOUNT MORGAN

THE RIDE DOWN MOUNT MORGAN starts at a moment of utter disaster for Lyman Felt. You see, Lyman has a problem. Not only has he landed himself in the hospital after crashing his Porsche on a icy mountain road, but he's also managed to obliterate the equanimity of the two most cherished women in his life, his wives. That's right, "wives" in plural. Up to this moment, Lyman (Patrick Stewart) had been a successful bigamist. For nine years, he has maintained two separate families in two separate homes conveniently located at opposite ends of New York State.

Wife #1, Theo (Frances Conroy), is a middle-aged WASP, mother of grown daughter, Bessie (Shannon Burkett). The Felts have been together for over twenty years during which time Lyman has made a great success in the insurance arena. Theo lives comfortably on Manhattan's Upper Eastside, dutifully seeing to the needs of her family and rarely questioning her husband's frequent stays away from home.

Wife #2, Leah (Katy Selverstone), is a beautiful Jew and considerably younger than the first Mrs. Felt. She is the mother of Ben, Lyman's nine-year-old son. Driven and independent, Leah might never have married had it not been for Lyman's persistence not to terminate the unexpected pregnancy.

America's foremost living playwright, Arthur Miller, renowned for such durable classics as DEATH OF A SALESMAN, THE CRUCIBLE and AFTER THE FALL (inspired by his tumultuous marriage to the century's most fabled sex goddess, Marilyn Monroe), has here created a memorable character in Lyman Felt. Though nothing short of a cad and in spite of his lying and cheating, he remains a person with whom we empathize. In fact, one might say he is quite lovable throughout.

As Lyman, Stewart brims with infectious exuberance, conveying a physical strength more than capable of shouldering his character's gross immorality. His gentle, affable face communicates a wealth of heart, nearly convincing us that, indeed, there may be enough of Lyman to go around. To some men, he may seem heroic in his deftness. To some women, he may possess the irresistible lure of the conqueror. But, to sound minds of either sex, Lyman is nothing short of a selfish, aging man whose personal pleasures takes precedence over all.

Lyman suffers no overwhelming guilt for the lives he's disrupted. Indeed, the bliss of bigamy seems well worth the price he must pay. "All one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets." This is key to his modus operandi, a byproduct of testosterone saturating the brain. Lyman lives out a purely male fantasy. That we like him at all is testament to Miller's brilliant characterization, David Esbjornson's precise direction and Stewart's dynamic skill. Frances Conroy's performance is no less captivating. As the aging discarded wife, Theo is often berated for her shrillness and cold remove. Faced with the unpardonable insult of being only half-rejected for another woman, she struggles to hang onto her dignity until the moment of realization becomes inescapable. This scene is both pitiful and humorous and, no doubt, a contributing factor to her earning this year's Outer Critics Award as the outstanding featured actress in a play.

Katy Selverstone, making her Broadway debut, possesses the gait and style necessary to convey Leah's vital sense of modernity. With her dark good looks and her brooding whiskey voice, Selverstone throws off flashes of hot-bloodedness like a hungry tiger. Shannon Burkett is utterly convincing as Theo's daughter, steadfast in her devotion to her mother. John C. Vennema is disarming as the carping lawyer and Oni Faida Lampley as Lyman's nurse strikes the perfect balance between care and contempt.

Fantasy and surrealism abound in THE RIDE DOWN MOUNT MORGAN. While lying in his hospital bed, Lyman is transported to times long ago and places far away, real and imagined. In one passage, Theo and Leah come at him dressed in great crow masks, pecking at his innards. Later, the two wives are carted out on giant pedestals, each one chirping with delight for the pleasure of holding Lyman's attention, if only for a moment. John Arnone's minimalist scenic design facilitates smooth temporal transitions, nicely augmented by Brian MacDevitt's clean lighting design.

THE RIDE DOWN MOUNT MORGAN has had a long journey on its road to Broadway. The play premiered in 1991 in London and debuted in the United States at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1996. MOUNT MORGAN enjoyed a limited sold-out run at the Public Theatre in late 1998.

This is the fourth Arthur Miller production on Broadway in the past few season. Miller's A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE proved a great hit, garnering the Tony Award in 1998 for leading actor Anthony LaPaglia as well as the best revival nod. Last season, DEATH OF A SALESMAN earned Tonys for best revival, leading actor Brian Dennehy, featured actress Elizabeth Franz and director Robert Falls. Earlier this season, Miller's THE PRICE directed by James Naughton, enjoyed a brief run at the Royale Theatre. is slated to end its run at the Ambassador Theatre on the 23rd of July.