The human heart: such a powerful muscle, and such a delicate instrument at the same time. The frailties of the human heart, especially when twisted with desire, can make for dangerous congress.
I am not spoiling any surprises to report the central human hearts in John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore are siblings first, then lovers. Oh, yes, full on incest that would give the old Greek poet Sophocles a pause. And that is just the start of a sordid, deliciously devious, and verse-filled drama of betrayal and revenge.
This is the stuff that dreams and productions by Brave Spirits Theatre are made on. And Ford’s circa 1630 revenge drama fits their spirited company like a Roman dagger between Julius Caesar’s ribcage. “Verse and violence” is the Brave Spirits watch cry as they seek to keep alive the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, especially titles in which the vivid poetry contrasts with even more vivid behavior. Ford, known as one of the last examples of the brilliant British playwrights of the 1600s, provides them with one such play; Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher provide the other entry in this so called “Incest Rep.” ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore alternates with A King and No King through April 23.
‘Tis Pity is among Ford’s best known plays, so fans of late Jacobean era drama (reign of King James) and Carolinian drama (King Charles) will flock to Convergence in Alexandria to catch the action and intrigue. If you have not relished in Ford’s poetic diction, austere beauty, and unbridled human passions, Brave Spirits Theatre offers a superb introduction with this production.
Under the detailed and sensitive direction of BST artistic director Charlene V. Smith, ‘Tis Pity gallops along at a brisk pace while never losing the crisp and expansive language that lays bare the tortured souls of Ford’s imagined Italian city of Parma.
Smith’s impeccable casting aids in the strong rendering of the passionate and bloody tale, starting with Danny Cackley as Giovanni, a young nobleman whose forbidden love for his eligible sister Annabella is central to the story. Trim and boyishly handsome, Cackley somehow conveys innocence while showing a man ruled by his heart, tainted by desire for his sibling. As the object of his affection and torment, Jenna Berk turns in a equally strong performance as Parma’s most suitable young lady, modest, unassuming, and eventually as compromised with carnality for brother as he for her. Ford provides Giovanni and Annabella with some beautiful passages of verse in which to reveal their perverse romance; Cackley and Berk expose this relationship with skillful grace that is in stark contrast to the conclusion, that plays like a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet, an affair of the heart like few I have experienced.
Giovanni and Annabella’s star-crossed love affair is only a sampling of the dramatic delights, however. Their father Florio, unaware of the incestous coupling of his progeny, wishes to marry Annabella off to the right husband. The suitors include dullish Grimaldi, the foppish Bergetto, and the proud nobleman Soranzo. Their attempts to reach Annabella are woven into the story, that also includes additional intrigue – adultery, for starters. Before setting his eye on Annabella, Soranzo – played to the hilt by Ian Blackwell Rogers – carried on an affair with Hippolita, a married woman who is now bent on getting back her former lover for spurning her.
Her husband Richardetto, thought to have died at sea, returns to Parma disguised as a physician, seeking vengeance for Hippolita’s infidelity. Ford’s plot and verse spin the tale out clearly, building to the convergence of the various revenge plots, multiple suitors, and the icky incest angle, culminating in a tragic end that must be experienced in person for the full shock effect.
Let me emphasize my own personal reaction without revealing the details: at a key moment during the last scene, my mouth involuntarily gaped open and – as was noted on Twitter – stayed open for a prolonged period of time. Get wrapped up in the twists and turns, and I’ll wager your mouth will fly open too.
The ensemble of twelve game actors take on the 20-plus characters with dashing skill. Notable contributions include Briana Manente as a female version of Vasques, Soranzo’s servant, providing an Iago-like turn that is edgy and unforgettable. As Annabella’s tutoress, Kathryn Zoerb makes for a coquettish Putana. Rebecca Ellis commands the stage as Hippolita, showing a bitter woman’s broken heart but steely resolve for revenge. As her returned husband, the crafty Richardetto, Gary DuBreuil maintains an understated dignity until he reveals his true colors at just the right time. Darren Marquardt (Florio), Erik Harrison, Brendan Edward Kennedy, Alison Talvacchio, and Lisa Hill-Corley round out the cast.
Another star of ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore is the contribution of renowned fight director Casey Kaleba who has had a long relationship with Brave Spirits Theatre and here proves once again to be an invaluable resource as “fight and blood director.” The swashbuckling swordplay and other violent outbursts Ford includes in his little play are brought to life with panache and detail, shown to great advantage in the intimate playing space.
My one minor quibble with the production may be just my own sensibility rearing its head – and not I was not concerned with the sordid relationships or reliance on violence, both aspects vital and true to Ford’s masterpiece. I questioned how the character of the silly suitor Bergetto and his servant Poggio were portrayed. Comic relief characters are certainly part and parcel with Shakespeare and other tragic writers of the era, and I suppose that is how Bergetto and Poggio were perceived. For this production, however, these characters seemed to be dropped in from another play altogether – the actors playing them mugged, ad libbed, and threw in what I can only describe as schtick. Now, some scholar of 17th Century English drama will point out the clowns were giving liberty to freestyle a bit, but shouldn’t their comical dialogue and enhancements at least work organically with the play itself?
My questions about the few moments of comic relief aside, by the last scene – gaping mouth and all – I had become a big fan of Mr. Ford’s play and of the adventurous Brave Spirits band of players.
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‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore by John Ford . Director: Charlene V. Smith . Featuring: Jenna Berk, Danny Cackley, Gary DuBreuil, Rebecca Ellis, Erik Harrison, Lisa Hill-Corley, Brendan Edward Kennedy, Darren Marquardt, Briana Manente, Ian Blackwell Rogers, Alison Talvacchio, and Kathryn Zoerb. Costume design: Adalia Tonneyck . Set design: Leila Spolter . Lighting design: Jason Aufdem-Brinke . Music director: Zach Roberts . Fight & blood director: Casey Kaleba . Fight captain: Danny Cackley . Dance choreography: Alison Talvacchio . Dramaturg: Claire Kimball . Stage manager: Deborah Gur . Produced by Brave Spirits Theatre . Reviewed by Jeff Walker.
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