Stoneface

Reviewed by Neal Weaver
Pasadena Playhouse
Through June 29

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This homage to silent comedian Buster Keaton began as a birthday present from actress-playwright Vanessa Claire Stewart to her husband French Stewart, who is a long-time Keaton fan and she thought, the perfect actor to play him. They took the script to director Jaime Robledo over at Sacred Fools Theatre Company, which mounted a modest 99-seat theatre production, with French Stewart as its star. It immediately became a hit. Sheldon Epps, artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse, read the script and decided to give the piece this larger and more fully funded production, with French Stewart, Robledo and most of the Sacred Fools cast in place.

The production combines two wildly disparate elements: the hilarious footage from Keaton’s film comedies, either in its original form, or given a modern restaging for this production, is played off against the considerably grimmer tale of the actor’s life. Keaton was an alcoholic and could be obnoxious when in his cups. His illustrious career went into a seeming death spiral when Louis B. Mayer (Pat Towne) signed him on at MGM and tried to rein him into being a dutiful contract player, throttling his comic genius. As director-performer, Keaton’s enormously expensive production of The General may be considered a classic now, but in its original release it tanked at the box office, after which Keaton was no longer allowed to direct his own films, and the studio’s attempts to control him became more intense, with disastrous results. Keaton’s estrangement from his first wife, Natalie Talmadge, resulted in his losing contact with his children.

Ms. Stewart’s script is more impressionistic than literal and chronological. It details his friendship with “Fatty” Arbuckle (Scott Leggett), his conflicts with producer Joseph Schenk (Jake Broder) and Mayer, and his rivalry with Charlie Chaplin (Guy Picot). The women in his life, and his several wives, are played by Rena Strober, Tegan Ashton Cohan, and Daisy Eagan. Joe Fria plays the young Buster, and one of Buster’s sons. And pianist Ryan Johnson handsomely captures the rinky-tink sound of the silent movie accompanists.

French Stewart does a terrific job when recreating comic scenes from Keaton’s films, but he doesn’t really look like Keaton, and his “stoneface” is different from Keaton’s. The Keaton persona was often harried or perplexed, but always indomitable, despite the odds. Stewart resembles rather a mask of tragedy, reflecting the woes and misfortunes of the man behind the persona.

The production is a lavish one, and set designer Joel Daavid has made a virtue of extravagance and overkill by producing huge replicas of the house façade which tumbles onto Buster, and the locomotive from The General, on whose cow-catcher he takes a spectacular ride. These enormous creations get only minimal stage time, but audiences greet them with enthusiasm. Jessica Olson’s costumes, Jeremy Pivnick’s lighting, and Ryan Johnson’s original music add richness to the Hollywood milieu Keaton inhabited.

Pasadena Playhouse, 39 South El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Tues.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sat.,4 & 8 p.m., Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; through June 29. (626) 356-7529, pasadenaplayhouse.com