Chicago favorite William Brown makes his Northlight directing debut with Oscar Wilde's comedy of manners. Chicago audiences are probably familiar with Brown's work in front of the curtain at the Goodman Theater, where he has been delivering an inspired Scrooge for several years. Recently, his direction of Our Town at Writers' Theatre garnered much critical praise and being named a 'Chicagoan of the Year' for 2003 by the Chicago Tribune. Now, Brown turns his inspired directorial eye on the witty and pithy work of Oscar Wilde.
'In Lady Windermere's Fan, Oscar Wilde created a drama that beautifully explores the challenges we all—still to this day—face in relationships,' notes director William Brown. 'What's fascinating to me is that this play is so much more than it appears on the surface—much like an Agatha Christie or Alfred Hitchcock mystery. Under the guise of this seemingly simple comedy, Wilde has created a magnificent character study that delves into the true meaning of love and trust. And he does it all with his inimitable style and incomparable wit.'
Recently, I had the chance to talk with Brown and discover what drew him to the Wilde opus and what about the theater is so irresistible.
RR: What drew you to Lady Windermere's Fan?
WB: Artistic director B.J. Jones asked me to read it. When I finished it I thought wow, it's beautifully written but do we need to do a play about good women vs. bad women. He asked me to read it again and during that second reading I saw what a dangerous play it is. It is really about trust—how we choose to give it and how fragile it is. Within the context of a scandal-hungry society that wants to believe the worst about everyone, 'well-meaning' friends, and shifting ideas about the meaning of marriage, well the more things change ... .
RR: What Bill Brown touches will you bring to this classic? In other words, is there something you want to do different with your production than other directors have done in the past?
WB: I've never seen it before and I don't know many people who have. Every time someone says they've seen it, it turns out they have really seen The Ideal Husband. I love that. It means I'm totally dependant on Oscar.
RR: Oscar Wilde remains one of the wittiest writers in the English language. How do you approach his dialogue as a director? Is there a certain style you want the actors to adopt? What is that style?
WB: As an actor and director who has done a lot of what people call 'style' plays, I am actually very suspicious of the word. Frequently 'style' is used as an easy way to do a play the way other people have done it. With Lady Windermere's Fan, for example, it would be a mistake to think that it is the same marvelous confection that The Importance of Being Earnest is. There is brilliant wit in both but Lady Windermere is a play in which people actually get hurt. Of course, in playing either play an actor must understand how badly these characters want what they want—whether it is a faithful husband or the perfect cucumber sandwich. That these characters are rich, smart, titled, and at the top of the British Empire's food chain really makes them hungry.
RR: How do you think Lady Windermere's Fan is relevant to contemporary audiences?
WB: Adultery never goes out of fashion. And we will always grapple with the question of trust. Can you trust your lover, your friends, your elected representatives? There is no surveillance system in the world that can guarantee that trust. Ultimately one chooses to give it or not. And as for scandal, who'd have thought that a messy divorce could still cost one a shot at the U.S. Senate.
RR: Although your directorial trademark is known around town at many Chicago theaters, this is your debut as a director at Northlight. How has working with this particular venue compared to working with other local theaters?
WB: They've been great at Northlight. They have really leaned into this—whether it is finding a new chandelier or researching the proper way to shake a lady's hand. What I love most about Chicago theatre is that in every venue you are working with new people as well as continuing your work with people you trust and respect.
RR: You've been both on stage and behind the scenes. If someone forced you to choose to do only one thing for the rest of your creative/professional life, would you choose acting or directing? Why?
WB: I can't imagine what you'd do to me that could force me to choose. Acting and directing give me the opportunity to work different muscles. Even if that doesn't make me a better actor or director, it certainly makes me a happier one.
RR: What are the top three most compelling reasons people should come out to Northlight to see Lady Windermere's Fan?
WB: The writing, the acting, and the clothes.
RR: What's up next for Bill Brown, the director? The actor?
WB: A week in Mexico! And then directing Twelfth Night at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisc.
Lady Windermere's Fan is running through April 25 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 N. Skokie Boulevard in the Northshore Center for the Performing Arts. Single tickets $32 - $48, available by calling the Northlight Theatre box office at (847) 673-6300. If available, student rush tickets are $20 two hours prior to the start of each show. Seniors receive $3 off single tickets. Call (847) 679-9501 ext. 3104 for group discounts.
