Jake O’Flaherty, Dendrie Taylor and Scott Parkin. (Photo by Linda Teverbaugh)
Reviewed by Madison Mellon
Promenade Playhouse
Thru October 27th
The (Mostly) True Story of a Common Scold, currently playing at the Promenade Playhouse, has many of the ingredients for a compelling narrative. It highlights the forgotten story of an influential woman. It deals with urgently relevant issues such as separation of Church and State and racial injustice. Above all, there are obvious parallels between this story and our current sociopolitical climate. It is unfortunate, then, that what should be an energized and engaging drama is instead often slow-paced and heavy-handed.
Common Scold takes place at the start of the Andrew Jackson Administration (1829-1837) and tells the story of Anne Royall (Dendrie Taylor), a travel writer who later becomes the first professional female journalist in the United States. She fights back against a cohort of evangelicals who are attempting to warp America into a conservative, Christian nation. The play follows this fight, as well as Royall’s eventual trial where she is accused of being a “common scold,” an archaic charge brought against women to silence them.
While the modern relevance of this story is clear (and in case it isn’t, Royall is referred to as a “nasty woman” by one of her accusers), the piece often drags and lacks any real driving force. Written by Mike Teverbaugh and directed by Natalia Lazarus, Common Scold contains a good deal of exposition and direct address to the audience, which makes it challenging for momentum to build and causes the play to feel like a historical reenactment at times. There are also several unnecessary tangents: A significant length of time is spent building up to Royall’s crippling leg injury, but this ends up having little bearing on the rest of the plot.
Instead, it would have been interesting to learn more about Royall’s specific views and beliefs beyond her justified ire at evangelicals attempting to undermine the Constitution. The fact that she is quite sympathetic to Andrew Jackson also muddies the play’s attempt to paint her as a modern feminist icon. Hazel (Zuri Alexander), Royall’s Black assistant and maid, very briefly challenges her on this topic, but it is quickly brushed off, which is a missed opportunity to bring in some nuance and conflict. As passionate and intelligent as Royall, Hazel is given little to do. When she does meaningfully contribute to Royall’s investigation, that particular plot thread is dropped. Instead, she is often relegated to making clever quips from the sidelines.
The production design, while serviceable, does not elevate the piece. Chris Kooreman is credited with production and lighting design, which is undeniably a heavy lift for one creative. The use of crates and minimal furniture is effective in establishing a wide variety of locations and allows for smooth transitions. However, certain smaller details are lacking. Some of the background projections utilized throughout appear to be AI generated, and several of the props are noticeably cheap or incomplete. There is minimal sound design — the transitions between scenes are completely silent — and there are several moments where sound effects would be beneficial but they take place without them. Resolving some of these small issues would create an overall more immersive piece.
As the two central — and idiosyncratic — characters, both Taylor and Alexander bring a level of vitality and levity to the dialogue-dense script. But while it is certainly admirable to shine a light on Anne Royall’s life and her invaluable contributions to journalism, Common Scold ultimately lacks the fire and energy of its subject.
Promenade Playhouse, 10931 W Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Fri. 8:00 p.m.; Sat. 7:00 p.m.; Sun. 3:00 p.m.; thru Oct. 27. Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission. https://www.laproductions.org/
