Misalliance

Yesterday, in the midst of paper grading, when I could least afford the time, I had to go use my ticket at the SCR. Next week wouldn't have been any better; the finals of these drafts will come in. So it was now or never.
In spite of the pile waiting for me when I returned home last night, I am so glad I went. This was most assuredly the best day of theater I have had at SCR.
Misalliance is a play by George Bernard Shaw, and if I hadn't already known the scope of the man's intellect, it would have revealed that to me. It's a brilliant piece of theater in which what could have been merely talking heads representing various segments of society and ideological views (the pragmatic aristocrat; the nouveau riche enterpreneur who aspires to be an artist; the socialist; the philistine," the "new woman") all take on flesh and become real and convincing people on the stage. Brilliant lines of all stripes fly in every direction, each one something one could ponder for a while all on its own. It's kind of like watching the Marx Brothers in action. So many good lines get by you that you get the impression of incredible complexity and density, and yet it never deflates the light-as-air comic tone. Quite a feat.
In this production, the casting was absolutely pitch perfect. The ingenue is so lovely in her pink confection of a gown that it becomes hilarious to see her be so human, in her desire to poke holes in the image of innocence and respectability that she so patently embodies. The underwear czar, ruled by his vigorous appetites, contradicts himself so fully that he is entirely convincing. The crybaby heir is gloriously over the top.
I don't know if there are still tickets left, but if there are, and you're in the neighborhood, you should go see this show, while you still can. I for one plan to read GBS's plays again. I'd forgotten just how good they could be.