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.