Roberta Fosse-Locke, Michele Schultz and Anna Boohe (Photo by Sara Locke)
Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
ELATE at Lincoln Stegman Theatre
Through May 3
Michele Schultz and Roberta Fosse-Locke (Photo by Sara Locke)
Peter Shaffer was a noted playwright, best known for Equus and Amadeus, which won Tony Awards for Best Play in 1975 and 1981 respectively. Lettice and Lovage, which he wrote for Dame Maggie Smith and which ran in the West End for two years, was also nominated in that category. I’m not sure why.
The play, currently being staged by ELATE at the Lincoln Stegman Theatre, has three acts — and only gets interesting in the third. The problem is not so much the production as it is the play itself.
At the top, we meet Lettice Douffet (Michelle Schultz, in a lively performance), an ostensibly boring tour guide who is giving the audience an equally dull history of the historic Fustian House – and her presentation is not received well. This opening is followed up with several more of the same tours, as Douffet embellishes each one more and more outrageously, and as she reveals her true flamboyant nature. Her audience goes from bored to positively enthusiastic – except for those who are sticklers for historic fact and complain to those in charge.
And that sets up a conflict with the fact-conscious, uptight Lotte Schoen (Roberta Fasso-Locke), an official who oversees tour guide personnel. Schoen fires Douffet but not before she challenges Schoen about the rewards of turning humdrum into exciting drama. “Fantasy floods in when fact leaves a vacuum,” she declares.
In Act II, Schoen shows up at Douffet’s house, admitting she feels guilty for firing her. And she gives Douffet a lead on a tour guide job aboard a boat on the Thames River. This, in turn, leads to a lengthy conversation (very lengthy) between the two in which Schoen reveals her unachieved dream of becoming an architect, among other things. Her revelations are fueled by drinking a strong homemade aperitif that includes the herb lovage (hence the title). An unlikely friendship is born. And — we find out later — their relationship is centered around zany activities.
Finally, in Act III, things perk up. Without giving away too much, it appears that Douffet is in deep trouble with the law. And how that all plays out is engaging and leads to a satisfying ending.
The problem with Lettice is that it’s way too long and nothing much happens in the first two acts. As charming and eccentric as Douffet is, her many monologues become tiresome quickly. Ironically, the main character Douffet continually decries boredom in a play that is indeed dull through much of its action. Yes, it’s true that Smith won a Tony Award for her performance, and it’s not difficult to imagine that she was outstanding in the role (the critics loved her). But no matter how stellar her work, the play as written, features too much strutting and fretting on the stage.
Which leads to the question: Is part of the problem the production at ELATE? The answer is a slightly qualified no. As Douffet, Schultz captures her character’s ebullience with skill and energy. It’s a challenging role in that about two-thirds of the lines are spoken by her. The pacing (under the direction of Mikey Fatum) feels a bit slow at times, and that might contribute to the tedium of the first two acts. And Fasso-Locke as Schoen does not seem to settle into her role until Act II, which could contribute – again, just marginally – to a lack of energy where it’s most needed.
ELATE at Lincoln Stegman Theatre, North Hollywood. Thru May 3. https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets. Running time: Two hours, 30 minutes, including intermission.
