Theater review: Premiere!

by Gina Robertson of John Garcia's The Column

Premiere! (presented by Rover Dramawerks at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano) is one of the last plays written by Dale Wasserman, and it's easy to see how an aging playwright, when pondering his legacy, would turn his thoughts to the most remembered and revered playwright of all time. This play answers the question, "If I wrote plays as good as Shakespeare's, would history be as kind to me in honoring my work?"

The only way to test your work against Shakespeare's would be to write something great and see if it can pass as the work of the Bard himself. Only then would you know that your work is as good, but then could you take credit for it?

This is what main character Gil Fryman sets out to do in this suspenseful, witty comedy about a playwright becoming resentful of the success his comedies enjoy on Broadway and longing for recognition of his more serious work.

There's a British professor coming to search his father-in-law's book collection for a lost work of Shakespeare's, and Fryman happens to know a forger who can create a book that would appear to be printed over 400 years ago. It's an excellent opportunity for Fryman to write the lost play himself and stash it in the book collection to be found and authenticated as Shakespeare's work.

By questioning the authentic authorship of Shakespeare's plays, the cult-like adoration of them today, and Americans' penchant for adapting them in creative ways, Wasserman reveals the futility of trying to publicly measure your greatness by Shakespeare's standards. If you succeed, you may have personal satisfaction, but the rest of the world will never acknowledge your success.

Mike Hathaway is terrific as the brooding playwright. In the scene where he must hide the forged book from his family as he smuggles it into the book collection, Hathaway demonstrates a gift for physical comedy. He also has a funny way of leaning against the furniture to convey anxiety and dread. He's a pretty good dancer and a suave ladies' man, though the chemistry isn't quite there with Kelly Moore Clarkson, who plays his wife Becky.

As Becky, Clarkson is witty and bright. She is Fryman's Lady MacBeth, who uses womanly ways to convince her husband to attempt this fantastic forgery. Their relationship is supposed to be loving and affectionate, but it doesn't come across as a comfortable match. She seems to cringe a bit at his embrace, and the numerous kisses between them are delivered as briefly as possible, just a light peck you'd give to some distant relative you don't like much rather than the lingering smooch you'd give to the husband you're still madly in love with. Clarkson has several funny moments, such as when she leaps up to say, "I really don't feel well," whenever the conversation turns to what might happen to someone who attempts to commit an act of Shakespearean forgery.

Becky's father is Dr. Brand, played by Howard Korn. There isn't much to say about his performance due to a regrettable choice by director Jason Rice. He has Korn staged facing away from the audience in almost every scene. As the sage old patriarch whose wise conclusions reflect the play's theme, he isn't given much opportunity to be funny or entertaining, but I got the impression that Korn could be both if he had the chance.

Peter is Becky's brother and Gil's producer, an under-ambitious underachiever who's content to enjoy whatever comes to him from the success of his famous brother-in-law without envy or resentment. Matthew Edwards in this role is playful and wry. There are subtle things he does in movement and delivery that make him fun to watch, even though Peter doesn't have much to do with the plot. In fact, that seems to be the point of his character. Like a producer, he is essential and ubiquitous but serves no real purpose.

Rich Hancock as "Lefty Guggenheim" is hilarious as the slick mafia-style criminal Gil enlists to produce the printed book that contains the forged play. "Guggenheim" is good at what he does. He has an interesting view of the ethics involved in his work and points out the irony in the value we place on things based on their authentic source rather than their inherent quality of craftsmanship. He's a lover of words, and his use (or misuse) of them is quite endearing. Hancock's Brooklyn accent and the charming way he marries the contradictory aspects of his character bring out the most laughter.

Justina Hawkins is the British professor of Shakespeare, played by Elfriede Russell, who will judge whether Gil has written a play of Shakespearean quality or whether he will be branded as a fraud and a poser. Russell plays well her arrogance and her British intellectual snobbery, but she struggles noticeably with her lines, both in remembering them and in delivering them clearly.

Play action pauses occasionally to allow each character to come forward and deliver a monologue to the audience that reveals his personality and motivations more directly. These moments are the highlight of the play. This is where the actors show their talent in developing the characters and where they seem most comfortable and real. When Clarkson delivers her monologue, she is Becky, and then she steps back into the scene to interact with Gil and turns back into Clarkson playing Becky.

Overall, audiences will enjoy this entertaining production with excellent pace and timing.