Review by Neal Newman
October 1, 2022
The plays of Eugene Ionesco are a celebration for actors, directors, and designers. You know that every production must be unique, and those above mentioned will pull out all the stops to be as inventive as possible. Such is the case at Quintessence Theatre with THE CHAIRS, one of the master’s most challenging works.
As expected, there is no plot, consistent characterization, or dramatic development. The story, as such it is, concerns an old man (Frank X) and an old woman (E. Ashley Izard) who are setting up chairs for the visit of an orator who will explain everything the old man has wanted to say for decades. The large audience arrives, but they are invisible. This is a metaphor for the current theater situation, with actors and directors working hard to create art for a post-pandemic audience that may well turn out to be invisible.
It’s a designer’s field day. Director Alex Burns also created the set and sound. Instead of the custom of using the tumbled-down Sedgwick Theatre as a black box, he has incorporated much of the unrestored ceiling and décor into the play. Where is it? A bomb shelter after a war? Or a pandemic? A hovel by the river? Who knows. Since the play has no discernable shape or build, director Burns has inserted some delicious special effects and sounds to surprise the audience. These won’t be revealed here, but they are spectacular. John Burkland’s quick-change resourceful lighting abets this wonderfully, and Kelly Myers’ tramp costumes continue to surprise.
The actors meet the challenge. They talk incessantly for two hours, and what they say makes no sense unless you listen carefully. Themes, among what seems like hundreds, include the mother/son relationship, the need to flatter people in power, the failures of a long life, and the complexities of being married for 75 years. Both thespians know how to command the stage and are skilled vocal and physical performers. Izard follows a hilarious sexual and physical workout with a powerful speech about losing her son (if she has one.) X transforms into a multi-voiced vaudeville comic who can be a British servant one minute and a Southern Evangelical minister the next. If they aren’t quite the comedy team like, say, Laurel and Hardy, that will probably happen before closing night, October 23.
What did the audience think of all this? They seemed divided, with some laughing uproariously, listening intently, and yelling Bravo at the end. Others politely squirmed anxiously, wanting it to end. There was much bemoaning as we exited that the set was designed so that you could not leave.
What kind of audience does this require?
It helps if you pretend that you live in Paris in the 1940s and 50s, where Europe was still covered with desolation. Here was the birth of “Existentialism,” WW2’s gift to modern philosophy. It ponders that life is meaningless and that man’s actions are ultimately useless. Considering the state of Europe in that era, this seems sensible. But as Jean-Paul Sartre has pointed out, this philosophy gives you emotional freedom to enjoy life. If any action that you take is useless, you can never succeed. On the other hand, you can never fail. Maybe it’s just best to accept life as it is and try to enjoy the ride. Paris in that era exploded with “absurdist” plays by Ionesco, Beckett, Sartre, Camus, and others that if done well were really a lot of fun. It also helps if you speak French. Martin Crimp’s overly British translation is exact, but no translator can recreate the mouthfuls of Gallic splendor that must emerge from the actor’s mouths.
I guess Philadelphia is not Paris. But if you can alter your mindset, run to see this.
Quintessence performs at 7137 Germantown Avenue in Mount Airy. You can purchase tickets at the box office, by phone at (215)987-4450, or online at quintessencetheatre.org.
Running time: Two hours without intermission. Masks required.