A zeitgeist moment occurred in South Florida last weekend, when two of its premier theater companies, Island City Stage and Zoetic Stage, opened plays having to deal with legacies and heritage.
Island City Stage produced Lillian Hellman’s 1939 classic, “The Little Foxes,” which is eerily prescient of today’s political climate. Meanwhile, Zoetic Stage mounted Matthew Lόpez’s multi-award-winning “The Inheritance Part 1,” loosely inspired by E.M. Forster and his novel Howards End. “The Inheritance” addresses what is passed down from one generation to the next, both literally (property, a box of family memorabilia) and figuratively (our sense of gay community, guilt, memories, culture). In “The Little Foxes,” the legacy is more tangible: banker’s notes, inherited wealth, and property, as well as social status. Each play is three hours (or more) and has two intermissions. To attest to the quality of these productions, every seat was occupied at the end of each play. Nobody left during either intermission. You know that’s good theater.
“The Inheritance”
Zoetic Stage
Arsht Theatre, Miami
ZoeticStage.org
We might as well concede right now that Michael McKeever is getting the Carbonell Award for Best Actor for the dual roles Morgan/Walter. With little more than his posture, and a few mannerisms, he made these two characters so distinctively their own that it was a fascinating case study in acting. He has several impressive monologues, each delivered perfectly. Lopez’s script, as award-winning as it is, is not perfect. It is self-indulgent, and there are too many show-offy tricks, but the man can write a monologue! Moving, enthralling, on the edge of your seat kind of writing. Alex Weisman, who shares many of Michael’s scenes, is more than able to keep up with him. Anthony Michael Martinez is not up to the same level. He stumbled over a lot of his dialogue on opening night; but he certainly has charisma for the role. Aidan Paul has that Bambi-like quality his role calls for and can sizzle when he needs to. The ensemble was extraordinarily strong, and director Stuart Meltzer did a good job of maneuvering them about the three-quarter thrust stage. The only flaw of the evening was some missed light cues that left characters performing their monologues in the dark.
“The Little Foxes”
Island City Stage
2304 Dixie Hwy., Wilton Manors
IslandCityStage.org
With “The Little Foxes,” Island City Stage steps completely away from LGBTQ theater. The play is not about LGBTQ people, the subject matter is not relevant to LGBTQ people and the playwright, Lillian Hellman, was not a lesbian. Butch, yes. Lesbian, no. The only gay thing about this play is that Tallulah Bankhead played the lead character, Regina Giddings, on Broadway, and Bette Davis did so in the movie version (much to Tallulah’s chagrin). This is still a worthy play to see, simply because it is a wonderful production, filled with powerhouse performances, of a seldom produced piece.
It is seldom produced because it is set in the south in the late 1890s, and there are Black servants, and the N-word is used. As hard as that is to hear now, that is what was said back then. To pretend otherwise would be a disservice to those who have worked so hard to move civil rights forward. If it makes you uncomfortable, that’s good. Hearing that word should.
But there is more to the play than that. The acting in this piece is stellar, especially from Mia Matthews, as Regina, who might as well clear a place on her mantle piece for another Carbonell Award. Stephen Trovillion is simply phenomenal as Ben, Regina’s brother and the patriarch of the Hubbard Family. Margery Lowry is becoming a familiar face at Island City. She was in last season’s A Delicate Balance, and she is a delight in this production as Birdie, whose inner light is dimmed by her husband. Her tipsy monologue near the end of the play is nothing short of a revelation. The set, lighting, and costumes are fabulous. Michael Leeds’ direction is usually sharp, but there are times when he has dialogue delivered while the actress is facing upstage, when it would have been just as easy to have her face the audience.
