Playwright: Philip Dawkins. At: Strawdog Theatre Company, 3829 N. Broadway. Tickets: 1-866-811-4111; www.strawdog.org; $28. Runs through: March 29
I'm always eager for a new Philip Dawkins play, whether or not it completely fulfills its potential. His intelligent plays are highly theatrical, and rich with witty verbal dexterity. His works entertain in the true meaning of that word, "to hold attention." They entertain in part because they are amusing even as they engage serious ideas. I also admire Dawkins because the style and form of his plays never repeat themselves. To the best of my knowledge, Miss Marx is his first play to portray an important historical figure: Eleanor Marx ( 1855-1898 ), the English-born daughter of Karl Marx who translated Das Kapital into English and was a leader of international revolutionary socialism.
Jenny Julia Eleanor Marx was a formidable thinker and propagandist who espoused full empowerment for women in politics, the professions, voting and intimate relationships. Like her somewhat-counterpart, "Red" Emma Goldman, Marx believed women and men should be equally free to love who-and-as they wish, and without the constricting bonds of marriage. She entered forcefully into a relationship with prominent socialist and activist Edward Aveling, already married, with whom she lived for a number of years. In the end, however, her very woman-ness—or lack of fulfillment as a woman—destroyed her: when Aveling dumped her she committed suicide.
Dawkins sketches all of this and more besides—her close friendship with a gay man, her fondness for children, her oratorical skills, her promotion of Henrik Ibsen's plays, her abiding friendship with Friedrich Engels—by creating a memorable stage figure of ferocious passions and high standards. The language and flash of her flirtations with Aveling are worthy of Beatrice and Benedick, while their sexual encounters are like cats in heat. As Eleanor, Dana Black provides a majestic physical presence and brilliantly plays the complex subtext of the role, alerting us to seething emotions within while Eleanor maintains a cool exterior persona. John Ferrick, although physically smaller than Black, is sturdy and equally convincing as aggressive, self-centered Aveling. Dinner with this couple would be fascinating if they didn't smash all the china. Miss Marx is so high-spirited you hardly notice it turning darker and solemn.
Director Megan Shuchman gives her fine ensemble great emotional range and freedom without ever losing control of the shape and pace of the work. It goes over the top precisely where it should but nowhere else. She and Dawkins introduce some amusing meta-theatrical devices ( double casting and cross-gender casting ) and skillfully integrate composer Mike Przygoda's sweet original music for piano, drum and violin. Mike Mroch's scenic design provides a realistic box set within the L-shaped Strawdog audience configuration, creating an effective 1890-ish physical look along with lighting by Jordan Kardasz and period costumes courtesy of Izumi Inaba.
