Waiting In The Wings

BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT, 12 January 2000
by Russell Bouthiller

WAITING IN THE WINGS

Last month marked the centenary celebration of the birth of British playwright, author, lyricist, actor and composer, Sir Noel Pierce Coward. Coincidentally, WAITING IN THE WINGS, one of Sir Noel's lesser-known works opened last month at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Internationally renowned stars Lauren Bacall and Rosemary Harris join forces with a sorority of veteran actresses from stage and screen to enliven one of this prolific writer's later works. Set in The Wings, a dilapidated charity home for aged actresses, the play laces Coward's sophisticated wit with a collection of subplots resulting in a wealth of nostalgia and humor that compensates for any sparseness of story.

After a sobering opening whereupon a body is quietly carted off the premises, the play focuses on the daily drudgery of the home's inhabitants idling away their time with needlepoint and chatter. A former leading lady of the stage, May Davenport (Harris) reigns as the unofficial Grande Dame of this last refuge for penurious thespians. When she learns that her one-time rival, Lotta Bainbridge (Bacall), will soon take up residence in the home, the seeds are sewn for a plot; or, more accurately, a central subplot. May is bristled by Lotta's presence, but powerless to effect change. Her resolve to pay her not one ounce of recognition is the last vestige of regal authority she commands.

Though Lotta's arrival propels its own subplot, it augments others. There are the origins of May and Lotta's rivalry to be unearthed and the very question as to why a star of Lotta's magnitude should spend her final act in a retirement home for indigent actresses. A prying tabloid journalist (Crista Moore) enters to stir the pot and a senile resident with a penchant for pyromania (Helen Stenborg) raises the heat. And, there's the recurring colloquy with reference to the need for a solarium and the funds to erect it. In short, there's a tiny little story for each character, the sum of which adds up to a sugary meringue in which each player has his or her bit of froth.

Still, there is a mordant undercurrent to it all, unsheathing the prickly tip of Coward's quill. The smallness of the feuds and quibbles serves as the perfect carriage for the writer's trademark one-liners, but it also reveals shades of emptiness to his characters' lives. The ladies are on that page in the script where looking back is the only direction worth contemplating as is illustrated by the sadly delightful Patricia Connelly character, Maudie Melrose, with her frequent recollections of a favorite role she once played. Like that cadaver in the beginning, these women are all waiting in the wings for their next performance, their last great scene before they leave this great stage. Their sniping and bickering over minutiae serves to hold off that inevitable final curtain.

The large cast of WAITING IN THE WINGS is surely the production's greatest asset and is ably guided by the hand of director Michael Langham. Tony-winner Rosemary Harris, who starred on Broadway in Coward's HAY FEVER in the mid 80s, is at the top of her game as the great lady whose shortcomings in the realm of finance has failed to diminish her sense of poise and refinement. Two-time Tony-winner Bacall, legendary for her film performances with husband Humphrey Bogart, seemed a bit ill at ease with her role, but quickly found her footing. Dana Ivey's as Wings director Miss Archie, affectionately known as the Colonel for her brief stint in the military, provides a lovingly firm hand at herding this gaggle of gals. Barnard Hughes and Simon Jones offer a bright contrast to the abundance of femininity. Bette Henritze's sweetness and Helena Carroll's Irish obstinacy add another welcomed hue to the palette as does Amelia Campbell as the put-upon maid and Anthony Cummings as Lotta's wayward son. And, the most colorful of this great supporting cast are Elizabeth Wilson and Rosemary Murphy who prove to be supreme stewards of Coward's more biting dialogue.

Though many of Noel Coward's plays have been greatly received in this country, namely PRIVATE LIVES, BLITHE SPIRIT, THE VORTEX and DESIGN FOR LIVING, WAITING IN THE WINGS has had a rather checkered history. After opening in London to a lukewarm critical response in 1960, the play never made it to New York. Coward likened the scathing notices to "Öbeing slashed repeatedly in the face." This recent production, "revisited" by playwright Jeremy Sams, had a rather cold response in the Boston press as it found its voice in out-of-town try-outs. The long-awaited New York opening, however, was greeted rather favorably in the press and ticket sales have been quite robust. While WAITING IN THE WINGS may not rise to the level of Coward's great works, it should prove to be one of those plays that audiences will never regret seeing. Indeed, this is a light piece that aspires to be nothing more than an entertaining vehicle for legendary talent and a couple hours of bright, breezy fun.