The Real Thing at The Gamm

By Richard Pacheco

            The Gamm Theatre’s current production of Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing” is vivid and potent, a mixture of the cerebral and the emotional sparked by excellent acting and direction. Stoppard has often been called too cerebral and intellectual, mainly due to his preoccupation with plays which found their inspiration in high art, such as theater and poetry in plays like “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” and “Invention of Love.” In this play Stoppard combines his finesse with the intellectual with an unusual delving into the highly emotional aspect of love and infidelity. It is the story of Henry, a playwright, his wife Charlotte and another couple, Max and Annie. Both Charlotte and Annie are actresses and Max, is an actor. Both marriages are faltering and facing total breakdown and disaster further complicated when Henry and Annie fall in love. The play is a multi award winner, snatching the Tony, Evening Standard and New York Drama Critics awards.

Some critics claim the play is his most autobiographical, but any related events occurred long after the play was written. However, it is his most emotional play with deep emotions buried within clever dialogue.

It is about the dissolution of two marriages and uses a play within a play device to set it all up. The two couples are friends. Henry is married to Charlotte and Max is married to Annie. It seems as the two marriages are falling apart that Henry an Annie are in love. Two years and a bit later shows Henry married to Annie. The repercussions to the earlier infidelity suggest new challenges to face on a variety of fronts for all concerned. Two relationships have crumbled, but will the new one between Henry and Annie survive issues of trust, fidelity and more.

Tony Estrella is dazzling as the writer, Henry. Henry is witty, intellectual and loves words as well as the nature of love and infidelity. Henry is conflicted and uncertain about love, about the real thing. He has lessons to learn about trust and acceptance and goes through a trial by fire. He shifts from the aloof, clever writer early on to a far more human and threatened man later with real fears with finesse and flair. Mr. Estrella shows this with great skill and honesty.

Jeanine Kane is Annie, also an actress, who ends up as Henry’s second wife. She is energetic and heartfelt in the role, very impressive. Annie is a devoted activist on behalf of an imprisoned vandal, Brodie. She also wants to produce Brodie’s horribly written play and entices Henry to come onboard and be a sort of ghostwriter to revive the horrible mess. Ms. Kane is sassy and sophisticated in the role, evolving through many emotions convincingly.

Tom Gleadow is Max, an actor and Annie’s husband when the play opens. He is a likeable fellow, but without the dialogue Henry has written for him onstage, somewhat dull and ordinary, not at all a great wit. Mr. Gleadow handles the role naturalness and conviction, making Max indeed likeable if ordinary.

Marianna Bassham is Charlotte, an actress who starts off married to Henry. She is poised and elegant in the role, able to maintain her dignity in a difficult situation. Her verbal bouts with Henry in the beginning are a delight as they trade barbs.

Marc Dante Mancini is Billy, a young actor who works with Annie on “’Tis a Pity She’s a Whore” in Glasgow. He is intensely attracted to her. Mr. Mancini is accomplished and full of life in the role.

Betsy Rinaldi is Debbie, Henry and Charlotte’s daughter, now grown, much to her father’s dismay. She is bouncy and zestful as the young woman determined to find out about love, much to her father’s growing conern.

Steve Kidd is Brodie, a man imprisoned of an act of civil disobedience when he sets fire to a wreath at a war memorial supposedly in protest of missiles. He is robustly anti intellectual and very down to earth and matter of fact. Mr. Kidd is persuasive as the somewhat hulking, almost brutish Brodie.

While at times the play is too talky, too cerebral, it does get down to guts and the nature of love in large part due to some wonderful performances by the cast. Stoppard can be too clever and witty at the expense of emotion many times but he does manage to effect a balance here where the emotional is given its due. These are strong performances, full of conviction and passion.

Fred Sullivan Jr. direction is precise and effective, drawing the most out of his actors making the most our of the emotional currency as well as the wit.

Patrick Lynch’s set is effective and stylish, with a smaller office area set off to the right cluttered with books, a desk and record player. Amanda Downing Carney’s are simple and effective.

"The Real Thing" runs through April 14 at the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets are $36-$45. Call (401) 723-4266, or visit gammtheatre.org.