By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO–When Moxie Theatre and playwright Liz Duffy Adams team up together prepare yourselves for a wonderful and fun filled romp. Remember her Dog Act, Wet and The Listener? Their latest Duffy project Or now making its San Diego premiere is a delicious peek into the world (both real and conceived) of Aphra Behn.
“Aphra who”, you ask? My sentiments exactly! But shame on me for not knowing that Ms. Behn was one of the first professional English women writers, novelist and poets who lived from 1640 to 1689 who actually earned a living from writing albeit criticized for it by society.
“All I ask, is for the privilege for my masculine part, the poet in me, to tread in those successful paths my predecessors have long thrived in…”
But wait! She was also recruited as a political spy whose job it was to watch the goings and comings of England’s exiles abroad that were plotting against the King. She then reported back to Charles II. Since she was not paid for her services nor was money forthcoming from Charles to pay for her exploits, she ended up in debtor’s prison for not being able to pay back her debtors.
Liz Duffy Adams’ wonderfully mischievous, clever and new Restoration comedy, Or, now in a first class outing at Moxie Theatre in Rolando, where we meet Aphra the notorious ‘Modern Woman’ of her day, is a 90-minute flight into the unknown world of poetry, spy-dom, theatre, royal intrigue and (ahem, romance) in the mid-17th century.
Mixing both facts with fiction we first find Aphra (Jo Anne Glover) in prison writing the King (David Mc Bean) a pleading note to free her from her shackles. Before we know it a masked stranger is standing before her, but a stranger for only a moment when his true identity is revealed as the King himself.
Things take off from there when we move into the Kings quarters (John Anderson designed the spacious and well conceived Victorian set) where Aphra was to be and then decided not to be the King’s lover but to dedicate herself to her writing instead since it was her true passion. That said she wasn’t averse to offering up her friend and actress Nell Gwynne to Charles II, that is when the two women weren’t having a little side fling themselves.
The narrative is told in rhyme as well as prose and is in the very capable hands of Jo Anne Glover who is the one constant with the other characters (6 in all) playing to her. Glover’s Behn is a perfect match as she is as versatile an actress as we might see on any San Diego stage today. She’s sharp, witty and charming as the focused Behn always with pen in hand scratching out a line or two for her new play or poem or book while directing traffic of one sort or another in her drawing room.
With deft direction by Shana Wride (she’s also a terrific actor) Adams story puts three famous characters of that era Aphra, King Charles and the famous actress Nell Gwynne (Jacque Wilke) together showing them in various scenes either as lovers, conspirators or comrades and friends in a series of vignettes where the doors of Behn’s quarters are in constant motion with some character or another coming in or going out.
With McBean playing three characters Charles, the jailer and William Scott (a one time lover of Behn’s and a fellow spy who might be thinking of plotting against the king) and Wilke taking on the rolls of Nell Gwenn, (pretty, witty, Nell) Maria (her servant) and Lady Davenant (a rather high brow and snobby patron of the arts) the action moves back and fourth so fast at times it’s a wonder the costumes, perfectly period by Valerie Henderson, are on the right character at the right time.
Both McBean and Wilke are more than up to their multi tasking of taking on more than one character at a time. McBean is especially funny as the spy, Scott as he finds himself hiding out in closets or behind closed doors in order to avoid being found in Behn’s room. Wilke is a hoot as the bigger than life actress Nell Gwynne or teasing and strong as a liberated woman who can go either way sexually. Overall the capable cast delivers the goods to make this production worthy of a trip to the theatre.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through April 23rd
Organization: Moxie Theatre
Phone: 858-598-7620
Production Type: Comedy
Where: 6663 El Cajon Blvd St N San Diego CA 92115
Ticket Prices: $22.00-$25.00
Web: moxietheatre.com
*
Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic. She may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com