"Melancholy Play," which opened last night at Leeds Theater, is a farcical, clever and funny representation of the American idea of happiness and the human capacity for melancholy. Written by Sarah Ruhl '97 MFA'01, the play - Sock and Buskin's second production of the semester - is directed by Ken Prestininzi GS, and contrasts the cheerfulness of a small American Midwestern town with the seductive, glamorous melancholy characterized by subtitled European films.
The protagonist, Tilly, played by Sarah Tolan-Mee '09, is a bank teller in a cookie-cutter Illinois town whose sexy, hopelessly romantic melancholy makes every person she meets fall in love with her. The townspeople - a psychiatrist, a tailor, a hairdresser and a nurse - all consider themselves happy until Tilly's enchanting melancholy disturbs their peace and leaves them desperately head-over-heels in love.
Her psychiatrist, Lorenzo - played hilariously by former Herald Opinions Editor Patrick Harrison '08 - is from an "unspecified European country" but is accused by his mother of being too cheerful. He is abandoned in a candy shop as a baby and ends up living in Illinois, where he fits in among the perpetually happy Americans. Tilly's respectful tailor, Frank, played by Byron Asher '08, is so mesmerized by Tilly that he is tempted to kiss her during their first encounter. Phoebe Neidhart '09 plays Frances, Tilly's sweet hairdresser, who becomes lovesick for Tilly to the point that she literally turns into an almond. Frances's partner, Joan, is an overprotective British nurse played by Katherine Cooper '09.
When Tilly becomes inexplicably happy, she leaves her admirers in a state of despair because they thrived on her sorrow. Tolan-Mee gracefully makes the sudden transition from exaggerated sadness to bustling cheerfulness, maintaining her charm throughout the play. However, sad Tilly is especially lovable, as she is meant to be. Speaking with glossy eyes, gazing out windows into the horizon and catching the rain in her hands, sad Tilly's dramatic and seemingly self-mocking gestures are simultaneously moving and funny. It is Lorenzo, however, who really makes the audience laugh. Harrison's accent, gestures and energy complement his lines almost flawlessly as he defies the cliche of the tortured, glamorous European.
Each character is meant to satirically fit a stereotype, and the actors do so effectively, resulting in a dynamic portrayal of life's most inherent contradictions. For example, in a desperate attempt to convert her partner back from an almond to human form, Joan consults her medical notes on melancholy, only to find that its causes and cures are the same - among them food, music and love. Similarly, throughout the first part of the play, the simple mundane things that make other characters content manage to make Tilly so melancholy - from the memory of the ocean and the gleam of the afternoon sun to remnants of recently trimmed hair and the purpose of wallpaper.
The relatively simple set design keeps the focus on the characters and their dialogue. The play's mood is set through variations in the color and intensity of the lighting and musical accompaniment by cello player Colin Baker '08.
Contrary to its title's implications, "Melancholy Play" is far from gloomy. This witty and comical farce keeps the audience smiling while it simultaneously touches on more profound ideas of American culture, the existence of a social contract and the melancholia that sometimes comes inevitably with life. Although the play is bizarre to the point that one of its characters turns into an edible nut, for the most part, Prestininzi and the cast pull it off. However, the ending's excessive focus on the absurd outcome of the melancholy epidemic detracts from the wit that characterized the rest of the play.
"Melancholy Play" will show at Leeds Theater from Nov. 8 to 11 and Nov. 15 to 18. On Nov. 15, Ruhl will come to the University to discuss her work.
