Playwright: Mary Fengar Gail
At: Seanachai at Prop Thtr, 3504 N. Elston
Phone: (773) 878-3727: $22-$25
Runs through: May 16
The plays of Mary Fengar Gail are popping up all over these days, as this prolific (although still little-known) author hits her stride. Her play Fuschia will be produced by the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre in June, and her Devil Dog Six will be showcased in Chicago in July by the National New Play Network.
And why not? Gail's work is literate, often humorous, engaging and gothic. Drink Me is the first Gail play I've seen, but I've read three others and they all touch on the occult, the paranormal or the science fictional. Drink Me is a bit more gothic than usual. It's set in modern London but it might easily be Victorian London, for it utilizes few trappings of contemporary life, and its sphere of reference is Lewis Carroll, nursery rhymes and witchcraft.
Can the imaginary friends of one's childhood become actual living beings? Drink Me explores this question in a tale of soul alliances, incest and vengeance in which Detective Chief Inspector Fossmire investigates the disappearance without a trace of thousands of London men. His investigation leads him to his own mother and the damndest rabbit hole ever. Coincidental to the story, Gail frames the play in painfully true arguments for zero population growth which she twists into rationales for genocide and compulsory vasectomies.
Sounds heavy, but it's not. It's definitely an entertainment vehicle. Those who enjoy Buffy and Charmed should enjoy Drink Me. It's also tricky material. Is it high camp? Or high gothic? The second choice might be best, but this restrained Seanachai staging doesn't go whole hog. Director Kevin Theis, generally a sure-handed chap, never allows Drink Me to go over-the-top in any direction, resulting in something less colorful, less full-bodied than it could be (although not dull), especially in the largely expository first act. Theis certainly faced some obstacles, among them a long and narrow playing space which splits focus for the play's multiple locales and also makes the required stage special effects difficult, although scenic designer Rebecca Hamlin has been clever within the limitations.
There are wildly uneven opportunities for the eight-person cast. Michael Grant as Inspector Fossmire must drive the show. He does, but at times is overwrought and artificial seeming to reflect Theis' uncertainty about style: is it psychological realism or gothic exaggeration or detective drama? Moments of quiet intensity might express Fossmire's obsession just as well, and he needs more charm in scenes with Dr. Flora Whetstone, his potential love interest, especially as Whetstone (capable Jacquelyn Flaherty) is underwritten. As Lady Augusta Fossmire, the always-estimable Wendy Robie takes focus whenever she's onstage, balancing pratician airs and deviltry. She and John Dunleavy (in two supporting roles) sport excellent Brit accents.
