Reviewed by Judy Richter
"The Devil's Disciple" is something of a
departure from other plays by George Bernard Shaw, being staged by Aurora
Theatre Company.
First, it's his only play set in America and, second, it has melodramatic qualities.
It's also much shorter than many Shaw plays, running only about two hours.
The
action takes place in Westerbridge, N.H., in 1777, during the American
Revolution. The roguish Richard Dudgeon (Gabriel Marin), who calls himself the Devil's
Disciple, has returned to town after the death of his father and has inherited
his home, much to the consternation of his strait-laced, puritanical mother,
Mrs. Dudgeon (Trish Mulholland). The central conflict arises when the town's Calvinist
minister, Anthony Anderson (Søren Oliver) goes to a neighboring town where the British
have hanged someone to intimidate the townsfolk. He leaves his wife, Judith (Stacy
Ross), to serve
tea to Richard. British soldiers burst in and mistake Richard for the minister,
whom they plan to hang as an example in Westerbridge. Richard does nothing to
correct their mistake, apparently willing to go to the gallows to save Anthony.
At the British headquarters, he has some exchanges with the war-weary British
general, John Burgoyne (Warren David Keith).
Richard
has some qualities in common with other Shaw heroes, who don't conform to
social norms. As such, he has some amusing, pointed discussions about religion
and morality with people like Anthony and Burgoyne. He also keeps a safe
distance from Judith despite their mutual attraction. Marin handles the role
well, as does Ross, who reveals Judith's conflicting emotions. The other actors
also do well except for some unneeded shouting by Michael Ray Wisely as Hawkins an attorney, but he's
more subdued as a British sergeant. Likewise, Oliver also gets a bit too loud
for the venue when he reveals himself to be a man of action.
Directed
by Barbara Oliver,
the company's founding artistic director, the production moves briskly with a
condensed cast of nine actors, several of whom play two roles. Completing the
cast are Tara Tomicevic, Anthony Nemirovsky and Allen McKelvey. The simple set is by John Iacovelli with lighting by Jarrod
Fischer, music
and sound by Chris Houston and costumes by Anna R. Oliver, daughter of Barbara Oliver and
sister of Søren Oliver.
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