By Jason Hagey and Alisha Hagey
I can’t think of any other time that I have gone to the mall and found myself inspired. Yet, surrounded by insipid easy listening music and far too much perfume, An Other Theater Company finds pride of place. They are the ‘other’ in this teenage-hallowed hall of American society and bring culture to the banal and light to the overbearing fluorescents. Perfect Arrangement, written by Topher Payne and produced by An Other Theater Company is the greatest play I’ve ever seen in a mall (okay, in all fairness, it is the only play I’ve ever seen in a mall). It is fantastic. Smart, funny, sincere, vulnerable, and absolutely pertinent within the political climate we find ourselves in, Perfect Arrangement is a veritable tour de force, not because of its surroundings but despite them.
This isn’t hyperbole. And yes, there is a novelty to it being staged in an old store (Radio Shack), but Perfect Arrangement transcends the pedestrian location into both serious theatre and impressive performance. This is theatre at its very best. Though the production is funny, this play is no joke. Finally, Utah County has an answer to some of the excellent theatre we have come to experience in Salt Lake City.
From the company’s press release, “Set just as ‘sexual deviants’ were added to the list of threats during the height of the Red Scare to be searched out and fired from Government jobs, Bob Martindale and Norma Baxter are tasked with finding these people and dismissing them. The only problem is that Bob and Norma are both gay and have married each other’s partners as an elaborate disguise to keep their secret.”
The play’s beginning is arresting in the idea of pretense. Every character is putting on a charade, not allowing themselves to be anything but the perfection of 1950’s veneer. In the opening scene, six characters inhabit this little black box theater made to look like a small living room in an apartment: the Martindale residence. There are three couples: Matthew Moss (Bob Martindale) and Kiersten Zundel (Millie Martindale), Liz Whittaker (Norma Baxter) and Tyler Fox (Jimmy Baxter), Angela Nibley (Kitty Sunderson) and Mattieu C. Kohl (Theodore Sunderson). The Martindale’s and Baxter’s are the epitome of 1950’s stereotypical superficiality. They make small talk and sound saccharine with the product placement advertisements of 50’s commercials as their topics of conversation. When the visiting couple (the Sunderson’s, the husband being Bob Martindale and Norma Baxter’s boss) finally leave, the facade drops. Their heterosexual marriages are a ruse to allow the homosexual couples to exist without detection.
Topher Payne is a playwright from Mississippi who has produced more than a dozen plays, performed throughout the U.S. in theaters such as Steppenwolf in Chicago. Payne is funny but also poignant with witty quips, delightful juxtaposition, and clever dialogue. Payne His characters are rounded, human, and vulnerable. He chooses to display his characters with depth, communicating their intentions and foibles with love and compassion, and avoids stereotypes and cheap laughs.
Director Kacey Spadafora does the opposite of what too many directors pride themselves in doing: he disappears. All too often directors want to be noticed, they want their deft hand to be seen, the man (or woman) behind the curtain to be revealed. I’ve known many directors who want their cleverness to be noticed. This is Spadafora’s brilliance as a director. His choices are clever and yet you forget about the director, even with the musical transitions (sung by the cast members), and you become all consumed in the lives of the individuals on stage. Never once during the performance did I pull myself out of the moment and think, “Wow, that was an interesting or smart directorial choice…” Instead, I wondered what was going to happen to the characters. I became deeply invested in the lives of these men and women and fully committed to what was happening on stage. My willing suspension of disbelief was in full force. These characters are flesh and bone rather than a mere construct. This sets Spadafora apart from so many other directors. The show takes center stage, not the creative force behind it.
For sake of time, we can’t gush as much as we want to about the talented cast. Moss is earnest, committed, and self-absorbed while trying to seem unselfish and self-sacrificing. Zundel is quick, intelligent, and passionately honest. Whittaker is vulnerable, pensive, and the way she can create that pre-tears glaze in her eyes is disarming. Fox is the physical comedian and is human in both his silliness and seriousness; a powerful blend of comic timing and real emotion (truly the ‘cheese’ monologue before intermission is brilliantly and nimbly handled). Nibley is wonderfully ditty and keeps her easily distracted naivete adorably believable. Kohl’s stage presence is undeniable, his manner and bearing imposing and authoritative. Bryn Curry (Barbara Grant) commands attention, she’s brash and bold, her intensity is palpable and compelling. In short, the cast is amazing. Their portrayals are believable, real even, and they each embody their characters perfectly. They are not amateurs but true professionals and when you go you will experience nothing but the best.
Behind every great production is a strong creative team. Ironically, in reality, in front of every great production is also a strong creative team as we see the fruits of their labors from the instance upon arrival at the theatre. Mel Howarth gives us costume, hair, and makeup design. From the iconic 50’s dresses to the wingtip loafers on the men, everything works well. Josh Bingham and Ashley Wilkinson give us our scenic and prop design. Without overdressing, and while maintaining a practicality that is needed in such a unique space, they transport us back into history through smart and simple choices. Paige Porter is the lighting designer and I feel like she had the hardest job. In found spaces, there isn’t a typical lighting grid or even the ability to have one. While being consistent, there are no gimmicks or obnoxious blackouts. Lighting is used deftly. Recognition needs to go out to Zoe Wilde, vocal coach. Wilde helps create time and place as much as any physical object on stage through the use of music.
An Other Theater Company’s production of Perfect Arrangement captures the current zeitgeist of the United States. While it centers on 1950’s homophobia, the play resonates with our modern malaise of fearing ‘the other’ and the political ramifications that stir in our social consciousness. An Other Theater Company may be out to bring to the forefront LGBTQ+ and women’s marginalization but this production has powerful connection to what it means to be ‘an other’ in general. I left the theater in a struggle over the choices made – is there a right or wrong? Is the fight for equality ever wrong? Is there an easier way to pave the road for future generations rather than the extreme struggle of those who come before? Perhaps not. Yet, if we all reach to our humanity to find our shared experience, I think we can all agree that love unites rather than divides. Perfect Arrangement is a moment in history that highlights the sacrifice of many. It is a reminder that we too sometimes have to take bold steps in order to bring hope for those who follow us.
An Other Theater Company presents Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne
Provo Towne Centre 1200 Towne Centre Blvd, Provo, UT 84601 located on the 2nd floor of the mall near Dillards
Fridays and Saturdays November 30 – December 22 7:30 PM, December 16 5:00 PM
Tickets: $14 online ($12 for Students and Seniors) and $17 at the door ($15 for Students and Seniors)
Contact: 801-735-6868
An Other Theater Company’s Facebook Page
The Perfect Arrangement Facebook Event
CONTENT ADVISORY: This play contains strong language and adult themes.
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