First Rehearsal in Snap Shots

Cherry Docs Team at First Rehearsal

Model of Cherry Docs set. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord.

Set pieces for Cherry Docs. Scenic Design by Jenna McFarland Lord.

The transformation...

Tim Eliot's transformation (with the help of Director, David R. Gammons!) for the role of Mike in New Rep's upcoming performance of Cherry Docs in pictures: 

New Rep On Tour: Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of universal and highly relatable themes. The characters persecution and redemption draw us into a world of austere artifice where real human impulses are hidden away under masks of propriety that characterized early colonial America. In terms of design, this time and society were characterized by modesty that not only stemmed from the church, but from the lawmakers themselves. Therefore, the fabrics that one could wear were literally restricted to certain classes. These strict rules make Hester’s scarlet ‘A’ all the more shocking as red dye in the 1600’s was a rare and costly luxury. Set against a background of gray, brown and black, it is easy to understand how “the scarlet letter” on her bodice would seem to ‘burn’.

As a Costume Designer, it is my job to illustrate the time and social station of the people of the play. Creating a definitive period silhouette and supporting it with appropriate details will bring period dramas to life. After digesting the script, my process invariably turns to period research first. This informs my drawings of the appropriate style lines and colors. From there, I infer artistic ideas on how best to serve the script and the

actors.

-Erik Teague, Costume Designer

Chillingworth Rendering (Above)

Dimmesdale Rendering (Above)

Hester Rendering (Above)

Pearl Rendering (Above)

All renderings by Erik Teague, Costume Designer for The Scarlet Letter

For more information about New Rep On Tour's production of The Scarlet Letter visit www.newrep.org/ontour.php



"Boston Marriage": Don't Ask, Don't Yell

by Jack Craib, New Rep Reviewer

As its first production of the current season, New Rep, in a brilliant stroke of inspiration, has chosen a particularly timely piece with significant sociopolitical subtext for the first state to have legalized same-gender marriage. David Mamet’s “Boston Marriage”, which received its world premiere in nearby Cambridge at the turn of the twenty-first century, is the story of two single women living together at the turn of the twentieth century in a relationship that at that time dared not speak its name. The term itself would appear to have been specific to New England, arising from the Henry James novel “The Bostonians”, in which two unmarried “new women” are engaged in just such a relationship (reputedly inspired by his repressed homosexuality and the “Boston marriage” of his sister Alice). The two “women of fashion” are the “aging” Anna (Debra Wise) and the younger Claire (Jennie Israel). The only other character on stage, played by Melissa Baroni, is the maid, Catherine, whom Anna persists in misnaming Bridey or Nora; Anna’s concept of feminine liberty pointedly does not extend to the lower classes. All three are faultless in their performances, individually and collectively, given Director David Zoffoli’s evident choice to emphasize the comedy of (ill) manners. As a result, the actors seem to be playing to a non-existent balcony in a relentlessly broad manner (no politically incorrect pun intended).

Critics (including this one, in a review of New Rep’s production last season of “Speed-the-Plow”) usually lament Mamet’s inability to write for female characters. “Boston Marriage” (in addition to his more recent work, “Oleanna”) is the exception that may disprove the rule. Make no mistake about it, the staccato dialogue is vintage “Mametspeak”, and his recurring theme is a fundamental deceit or “con”. His wit is evidenced by his usage of words such as “reticule” and “auger” (and this critic’s favorite, his referring to the straightness of a seam as “Euclidian”). Where this work differs is in the parsimonious use of epithets. Most of his plays are laced with profanity; here there is more lace than profanity, making the occasional swear unexpected and thus more effective. Without divulging too much of the plot’s ingenious twists and turns, suffice it to say that the elder Anna intends to deceive her lover into continuing their relationship with a crisis involving a distinctive emerald necklace. By play’s end, it’s apparent that the younger Claire is in fact the more devious manipulator. The women are clearly testing and challenging the limits that Victorian custom has imposed on them, both by their language and their choice of costumes. Mamet delights in skewering gender parameters, educational elitism, societal pretensions and class distinctions.

Mr. Zoffoli has chosen to emphasize the comic aspects of the play. To that end, Rafael Jaen’s witty costumes, as well as the whimsical set design by Janie E. Howland, (who may have borrowed, literally, from her set for last season’s “Hot Mikado”) are consistent with this focus, as are the lighting design by Deb Sullivan and sound design by Joel Abbott. This is a much funnier theatrical experience than in productions done elsewhere, at the cost of losing a great deal of its heart. This is farce rather than satire, Neil Simon rather than Shaw or Oscar Wilde. Only in the very final moments of the second act are the hitherto suppressed inner transformations conveyed. This is unfortunate given Artistic Director Kate Warner’s expressed choice of transformational emotions as her theme for the current season. Still, Mr. Zoffoli’s vision is consistent, and you couldn’t ask for a more hysterical start to the season, in several senses of the word.

For the Love of ... Well ... Whom?

Review Boston Marriage

By Richard Martin

Not long into “Boston Marriage,” David Mamet’s Victorian era comedy about the nonmarriage marriage of Anna and Claire, which opened New Repertory Theatre’s season on Monday night, Anna, interrogating Claire about her sudden interest in a younger woman, asks, “Do you believe in God?” Exasperated and fatigued by the verbal assault, Claire reclines on a nearby chaise and wearily replies, “I would if you’d shut up.”

The argument, which resumes immediately and sets both the play’s tone and its nonstop pace, also defines the stage of the couple’s relationship, which is long past romance, though not without occasional passion.

Of course there are complications.

Anna (Debra Wise) is also mistress to a married man, a protector, who provides her with a tidy monthly stipend and the pretense of being straight in a time when manners and appearance trumped candor, and being a mistress was far more acceptable than being lesbian. He’s in it for love. She’s in it to support the style to which she and Claire (Jennie Israel) have become accustomed. Still, the stunning emerald necklace he’s bestowed on Anna leaves Claire with her own suspicions.

Claire meanwhile has invited the new object of her affection to visit her at Anna’s house that very afternoon. Incredulous, Anna nonetheless quickly bargains to inject herself into the equation to spice things up. All appears to be going as planned, but soon after the young woman arrives, something happens that changes everything for everybody. So much for plans.

The bickering between Anna and Claire is laced with the clever, cutting dialogue that has ushered the terms Mametese and Mametian into the theatrical lexicon, if not the dictionary. Often a hurdle for actors and audiences alike, the challenge in “Boston Marriage” is magnified. The slightly off-sounding cadences and unfinished sentences Mr. Mamet is known for are joined to a Victorian dialogue, filled with expressions that we rarely hear. And the actors seem not to have reached a comfort level with their delivery.

While Ms. Wise displays an easy stage presence, she depends more on volume than tone to convey the sharp edges of her words, blunting them instead and making the rapid-fire dialogue harder to grasp. This also makes it more challenging to appreciate Anna’s midsentence digressions, usually to scold her Scottish maid, Catherine (Melissa Baroni, better at speaking than crying) whom Anna, in a running joke, persists in believing is Irish and is called Bridey. Or Mary. Or Nora.

Ms. Israel, on the other hand, is a bit more deliberate with her lines and sounds more natural and effective, but she seems less comfortable with her gestures and stage movements.

The affairs complicating everyone’s lives are there not just for comic value, but as catalysts that could transform Anna and Claire’s relationship. The other characters are unseen, however, and we understand the entanglements only through the couple’s exchanges, where some of the underlying energy is lost in translation.

Still, there are laughs. With smoother deliveries, there would be more.

Boston Marriage

by Frank Furnari, New Rep Reviewer

New Rep opens the season with the play Boston Marriage by David Mamet. You may be familiar with Mamet’s work; recent local productions of his work include New Rep’s production of Speed-the-Plow, and Lyric’s production of November. He is known for witty dialogue, often including many occurrences of the f-word (as well as other choice phrases), staccato speech where characters often cut one another off, and strong male characters. Boston Marriage is a deviation from this norm, with an all-female cast, a mere three utterances of the f-word, and strong, independent female characters, but still retains his humor.

The play, set around the end of the 19^th– early 20^thcentury, revolves around two women, Claire and Anna who are in a “Boston Marriage” – two single women living together without support from a man; Claire has just returned from a long absence and we learn that she wants to bring her new young female love interest to the house. Anna on the other hand, announces that she has found a married man to assist her financially. We get to see the two deal with the situation - can the new love interest come over, what will be said? Interspersed throughout this are scenes where the Scottish maid Catherine (although Anna can never seem to get her name or country of origin correct) enters - making tea, picking up after the women of the house, and offering unwanted comments. The situation gets more complicated after the arrival and departure (the audience never sees them) of other guests and provides fertile ground for Mamet’s comedy.

The three actresses excel at brining to life the humorous dialogue; Debra Wise masterfully portrays Anna. She portrays a strong side, but with a caring side that has been longing for Claire’s return and will do what she can to have her woman back. Jennie Israel is a fiery Claire who has a quick response, yet can be the calm one, called in the mediate situations involving the maid. Melissa Baroni’s Catherine brings great comedic timing and the ability to have herself noticed in the background without being the center of the attention. Kudos to the entire design team, from the detailed set with intricate floor, to the partial ceiling; the period costumes, and the hair design.

Going back to the language, as this is a Mamet play therefore it is all about language, (not the degree of foul language as is his normal), more of a fast-paced semi-Edwardian language that forces you to pay attention. I overheard someone asking his neighbor at intermission – explain to me what just happened, but in plain English! I don’t believe the language is that inaccessible, it can get to be a bit much, but Mamet knows this and even has the Catherine joke about it. Thankfully he rewards you with some good laughs even if the content isn’t as deep as it sounds.

A Hilarious, if Overlong, “Marriage”

by Jana Pollack, New Rep reviewer

This season, New Rep has proclaimed that it is actively moving forward. Rather than remaining in a comfort zone, artistic director Kate Warner has vowed to “evolve in reflective, positive ways.” She makes good on this promise with the presentation of David Mamet’s “Boston Marriage,” an unusual and worthwhile play.

“Boston Marriage” is Victorian-era Mamet, which itself is a funny premise. It’s also interesting as a study in comparison - last season’s “Speed-the-Plow” employed the same style of fast-paced, sharply written dialogue, but this time the dialogue is shot from the mouths of Victorian ladies instead of modern male movie producers. The ultimate result is the same in both cases: hilarity ensues.

This is especially true in the first act of the play, which finds our heroines, Anna (Debra Wise) and Claire (Jennie Israel), engaging in verbal jabs and jolts as they prance around the drawing room. Anna and Claire are middle-aged women and long-time lovers who have found a way to live outside the expectations of society; namely, by participating in a “Boston Marriage,” a nineteenth century term for a same-sex household. They are supported by Anna’s “protector” - she is mistress to a wealthy man who provides her with jewels and the means to redecorate, and in her off hours leaves her to do whatever it is that she likes.

Very shortly after her initial entrance, Claire delivers the news that she has fallen in love with a younger girl. Flirtatious, articulate jealousy takes over as the two women go back and forth, each attempting to secure what she wants. In and out of the room is the Scottish maid (Melissa Baroni), who inserts her own agenda but mostly serves as someone on whom Anna and Claire can take out their anger and aggression, with hilarious results.

Unfortunately, the second act provides little else in the way of plot, and the one-liners that are so amusing for the first hour begin to drag as the action carries on. It’s a shame, because true talent is on display here; all three women are pitch-perfect. This show demands much of its actors physically and vocally, and Wise, Israel, and Baroni are more than up to the task. These are funny women saying funny things – this is razor sharp, perfectly enunciated wit.

So the fault lies with Mamet. The problem is that this entire premise would be better accomplished in a 90-minute one act; there isn’t quite enough material here for a full-length play. And while a shortened version might have left the audience desperate for more, this overlong version grows a bit tiresome.

However, despite the flaws in the second half of the script, New Rep deserves much credit for putting on a lesser-known play and giving this piece a chance to be seen. Much of the dialogue is almost shockingly good, and delivered well, as it is here, it’s ample reason to make the endeavor worthwhile. Praise must be heaped both on the actors and on the entire artistic team; this play looks good, it sounds good, and it is, entirely, well-done. In short, “Boston Marriage” is a brilliant presentation of a slightly flawed play.

"Boston Marriage" Review

New Rep’s season opener is a fast-paced send-up of Victorian manners and mores as two women, partners in an old-fashioned “Boston Marriage,” survive by their wits in a hypocritical society. Playwright David Mamet has great fun with the euphemisms of the time, producing double entendres at a pace so rapid we frequently wanted an instant replay to catch the jokes.

Anna (Debra Wise) and Claire (Jennie Israel), longtime lovers, find their relationship endangered when Anna becomes the mistress (“Of course he’s married. If he didn’t have a wife why would he need a mistress?”) of a wealthy man, willing to support her in the style to which she would like to become accustomed. Newly prosperous, she redecorates the parlor in anticipation of her partner’s return from a journey. But Claire arrives madly in love with a young traveling companion and, consummate narcissist, begs Anna’s help in seducing her. The play ends up being part social commentary, part love story, and part screwball comedy. We can’t do better than echo the comment of an audience member, overheard at intermission: “This is like Oscar Wilde on speed.”

The intense interaction between the two main characters is heightened by the interruptions of the housemaid, whose name and country of origin Anna constantly (purposefully?) confuses. A country girl new to city ways, Catherine seems unaware of the nature of the household she serves, but blunders on with comic determination. She’s going to serve tea come hell or high water. Played with excellent comic timing by Melissa Baroni, she ultimately proves neither meek nor mild. Her country naiveté is an excellent foil for Anna and Claire’s convoluted plotting, and she is rewarded with some of the funniest lines.

The set designer indicates the ornate Victorian style of the drawing room with a few bold strokes and a sea of chintz (which figures in the plot). Two facing chaises are used to great effect, particularly by Claire, whose sensuality is revealed more in her interactions with the furniture than with her lover (interestingly). Several delicate chairs suggest Victorian style, but their fragility made us anxious that the ladies’ full petticoats and trailing scarves would overturn them (as happened during the curtain call). The costumes are somewhat odd, vaguely period but somehow off beat (or off-putting, perhaps). The layering of vests and scarves, and subsequent strip-tease by Claire, is a good touch.

While the play’s program offers a careful dramaturgical interpretation of Mamet’s treatment of women characters, the play itself does nothing to rebut the feminist charge that Mamet is a misogynist. Indeed, in many ways the play is cruel to its central pair, casting both in the role of self-centered, predatory lesbians (a typically theatrical treatment of women who love women). However, the actors do a lovely job with an often-difficult script, and many laugh lines left us gasping for breath. If you can avoid taking the play itself too seriously, Boston Marriage can make for a fun night out.

-- Shauna Shames & Johanna Ettin

Boston Marriage: Gilded Hair

For the characters in the play The Boston Marriage, hair is a very important aspect of the design. In the Edwardian period most women curled their hair using curling tongs. Hairpieces were also popular to add mass to the hairstyles. An important dictate for hairstyling was the width of the hairdo. Women used different gadgets to achieve the proper fullness. By 1911 hairstyles became more natural and followed the shape of the head. For our production of Boston Marriage we want a natural look –inspired by Pre-Raphaelite paintings and Reform Dress style images. The hair will be sensuous, unstructured and it will also have  a gilded look -to emphasize the Gilded Era. We looked at contemporary images to create a bit of anachronism; given that the relationship between the main two characters is still relevant today. 

    

Above: Actress Debra Wise adds a 'gilded' hair piece to create the glamorous yet unstructured hair do for Anna. Notice the research inspiration images.

Below: Inspiration ideas for the character of Claire. The hair piece for actress Jennie Israel (who plays Claire) is fire copper.

  

With color choices, proper textures and curl setting we will bring sophistication and sensuality to our production --apropos to The Gilded Era!

By: Rafael Jaen

http://fromthetailorstable.blogspot.com/

A Sneak Peak into the world of Boston Marriage

Costume Sneak Peak! Costume Design by Rafael Jean

Costume Sneak Peak.  Costume Design by Rafael Jean

Props!

Set Draft. Set Design by Janie E. Howland

Costume Design Inspiration and Treats for 1st Rehearsal!

Loading in the Set.  Set Design by Janie E. Howland