Cousin Bette
Antaeus Classical Theatre Company has long been recognized for the overall quality of its work. And while it has taken them nearly twenty years to create a season (and at the borrowed Deaf West Theatre, at that), there was no doubt that they’d be top-notch.
In this world premiere adaptation of Balzac’s 1846 novel, COUSIN BETTE (well-written by Jeffrey Hatcher) and double-cast with professional actors, poor-relation Bette schemes to find revenge on her better-off relatives in 1830’s Paris. She succeeds and fails all at the same time, which is most of the fun in this dire story of genteel poverty and emotional upheaval. Bette (Alicia Wollerton the night I saw the play) is a spinster-woman rapidly approaching middle-age. Homely but exceedingly intelligent, her Bette makes the most of family dysfunction to try to come out on top of this economic and socially-stratified family of hers. She saves the life of an impecunious Polish painter (Henri Lubatti), falls in love, and loses him to a more beautiful and younger woman (Dana Green), savages her many relatives and friends, and flames-out in a spectacular and unexpected fashion.
Balzac, who knew something about social climbing and going broke, fashioned a delicious story that undoubtedly shocked bourgeois France, a character-attitude Hatcher makes the most of. Antaeus Artistic Director Jeannie Hackett helms this fine production, making the most of her limited space and her terrific acting company.
While there are a couple of other classically-oriented theatre companies in town (A Noise Within, in Glendale, The Classical Theatre Lab in West Hollywood), Antaeus clearly holds its own in North Hollywood. While the show is three-hours long, it never flags and (the older actors at least), make this seriously amusing play sing in the key of good. Some of the younger actors are still honing their craft, but all show off their acting-chops in delightful ways.
Standouts in the evening I attended include Barry Creyton, Laura Wernette, Kellie Matteson, Joseph Ruskin, Jeremy Shouldis and Cylan Brown.
Considering the size of their stage, the technical aspects were well- represented: Tom Buderwitz’ two-level set is a marvel of period authenticity and stage-economy; Leigh Allen complements it with her lighting scheme; A. Jeffrey Shoenberg’s costume design is period-perfect, with fine delineation of the characters’ social ranking, as is the hair-and-wig design of Sarah Hatten. Much honorable-mention goes to Jonathan Sachs’ musical consulting, resulting in some extraordinary use of the music of Chopin.
This is one of those rare evenings in the theatre, where all the elements fall into place, so one may leave joyous at a great night of theatre.