No one mixes sexual politics and social criticism as well as George Bernard Shaw. The ease with which his characters express compelling thoughts consistent with their position, and in counterpoint to each other, serves as a quintessential example of using dialogue rather than preaching to create meaningful drama from ideas.
In “Candida,” now running at the Germinal Stage, Shaw explores his favorite topics in the context of the family and acquaintances of the Rev. James Mavor Morell, a Christian Socialist clergyman of the Church of England circa 1894. That we find universality in such a setting is another facet of Shaw’s masterful writing.
Morell’s boundless enthusiasm, sympathy and wit are sustained by the admiration of his congregation, members of various lecture-driven societies, his employees, and his wife, Candida. One fine day, his virtuous world is put to the test by Eugene Marchbanks — an 18-year-old poet, Oxford dropout and castaway — who declares his love for Candida while disparaging her husband’s treatment of her.
Morell’s self-confidence is disrupted by Marchbanks and then shaken by Candida’s generosity toward the young man. A complex dialectical interplay for the heart of Candida ensues between the idealistic poet and the pragmatic preacher. Shaw’s vision of liberated womanhood comes to the fore as Candida weighs the merits of the two men and their perspectives.
Disarmingly breezy and engaging, Lisa Mumpton’s Candida remains above the fray, giving her the stature, when forced by the men to choose between them, to supplant her husband as the moral rudder of this tale. Mumpton makes Candida’s reconciliation of the conflict look easy and natural, though the outcome has been surprisingly troublesome to some feminists.
Morell’s character, described in detail by Shaw in the stage notes that precede Act I, is impeccably addressed by David Fenerty, beginning with a well-spoken, energetic and genial disposition, carrying through his crisis of faith, and culminating in his willingness to face up to his own moral imperatives.
Zachary M. Andrews tackles the difficult role of Marchbanks, capturing the youth’s brooding uneasiness. However, the otherworldly, poetic qualities that should be his saving grace are undermined by a recurring sneer that makes us wonder what Candida finds attractive in him. As a result, the poet’s heroic stature is lost, robbing Shaw’s subtle conclusion of its irony.
Dramatic forces are augmented by Stephen R. Kramer’s blustering Mr. Burgess, Candida’s crass father; Patrick Mann’s starry-eyed Lexy Mill, Morell’s devoted young curate; and Robin Wallace’s pert Proserpine Garnett, the reverend’s adoring secretary.
Director Ed Baierlein exacts crisp dialect work from his cast in this economically staged three-act gem. Natty costumes by Sallie Diamond amplify the period verisimilitude of Baierlein’s set.
Bob Bows also reviews theater for Variety, KUVO 89.3 FM and : bbows@coloradodrama.com.
“Candida” *** (out of four stars)
Germinal Stage Denver, 2450 W. 44th Ave. Through March 2. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. 1 hour, 55 minutes. $15.75-$19.75. 303-455-7108 or
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John Moore mediates a talkback featuring Beirut hostage Thomas Sutherland, his wife, Jean, and the cast of “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me.”
Kritikaraoke
You’ve got to hear this to believe it: Your favorite area theater characters reading portions of John Moore’s reviews. This week: Edith Piaf and Mother Courage read from our review of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Lydia.” The link takes you to a miniplayer. There, click the triangular “play” button, and the episode will begin playing without your having to download.
3 more theater
Friday-Saturday. Readings. The success of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s simultaneous world- premiere productions of “Our House,” “Lydia” and “Plainsong” bodes well for what else is in the works. This weekend’s Colorado New Play Summit gives audiences a chance to see staged readings of four more new commissions in various stages of development: Michelle Lowe’s “Inana” (11 a.m. Friday); Steven Dietz’s “Shooting Star” (3 p.m. Friday); Lee Blessing’s “Perilous Night” (10:30 a.m. Saturday) and Cusi Cram’s “Dusty and the Big Bad World” (3 p.m. Saturday). The readings are sold out, but a wait line will be formed. A public panel discussion, open to all, takes place at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets. 303-893-4100 for event availability and prices.
Friday-Saturday. Dramedy. Two heroines, half-mad and half-baked, yet charmingly self-aware, navigate life from the trenches of a very contemporary Mexico. In Su Teatro’s “Las Chicas del 3.5′ Floppies.” Young Mexican playwright Luis Enrique Gutierrez Ortiz Monasterio exposes the human repercussions of globalization and poverty with incisive humor and relentless honesty. 8:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 4725 High St. $15-$18, 303-296-0219 or
Opening Saturday. Comedy. D.L. Coburn’s Pulitzer-winning comedy “The Gin Game” shows a simple game of cards between an elderly man and woman passing the time in a retirement home. As the stakes of the game rise, so does the tension between an aging pair who, with humor and poignancy, confront the hands life has dealt them. Starring Patty Mintz Figel and Jim Hunt. Presented by Paragon Theatre through March 15 at the Crossroads at Five Points Theatre, 2590 Washington St. $17-$19, 303-300-2210 or
