The Voysey Inheritance
Now that Bernie Madoff is ensconced for the remainder of his life behind bars, the current question posed is did his wife—his reported bookkeeper—and his dependents know of his Ponzi scheme, and do they feel or share any responsibility for enjoying their ill-gotten gains?
These questions strike at the heart of Edwardian playwright Harley Granville-Barker’s significant drama written over a century ago—adapted by David Mamet’s judicious pruning—proving that fraud is like good wine, it only ages better gains over time. Two generations of the prominent Voysey patriarchs have found “the bilking of one’s clients is irresistible” until the third inheritor, Edward (Alec Beard), uncovers his family’s dirty, little secret. The vast fortune of the Voysey clan is nothing more than a house of double-dealing cards and only he can set things to rights.
With the death of the Voysey patriarch, Edward reveals at the family memorial the truth behind his father’s so-called investments, namely, using clients’ money as a personal slush fund. Instead of guilt and shame, the Voysey family closes in, each indifferent to the victims who have lost or stand to lose all their fortunes. His mother literally turns a deaf ear, admitting that she had deduced her husband’s shady practices, but they “were never discussed.” His four brothers each present justifications for leaving well or, as the case may be, ill enough alone. Only his sensitive but flippant brother, Hugh (Milan Cronovich) seems in any way remorseful, but this proves to be only a self-serving need for his desire to experience unfettered self-reliance as a struggling artist at the high cost of his marriage.
Even Edward’s companion, Alice (Debbie Jaffe) confesses to a lack of empathy on the part of the clients, relating her own education about the value of money is not just in earning it, but earning the right to keep it through one’s own responsible fiscal management. No matter who Edward confides to, it seems that the moral standard is held high for those who can afford it, but once it comes at a personal cost, morality is simply too prohibitive to bear. Under the several guises of feared notoriety, arrogance, passivity, shrewdness, antipathy, reluctance, and greed revealed by each member of the Voysey dynasty, Edward is the lone voice of reason. Actively, trying to atone for his father’s ill-gotten gains, Edward runs into resistance, usury, and bribes when “the smash has come” before he can properly make fair reparations.
By eliminating unnecessary characters and paring down the five acts to a comfortable two, Mamet hones in on Granville-Barker’s germane advice for personal financial responsibility. The moral questions posed and social dilemma—as relevant for contemporary audiences as they were 100 years ago—explores the baser if not somewhat primal urge to pilfer when the risk of discovery is low.
It is impossible to view this play and not consider the current climes, from the recently convicted Madoff, to the insatiable bonuses bullying down Wall Street, to the underbelly lair of Broadcom’s CEO, and the overall crippling effect on the world market and Main Street today. Doubtful, are Madoff and his ilk sorry for the harm they have caused, their only repentance is in being caught at all. Whatever Madoff family and his dependents feel about their patriarch’s humiliating thievery, it is unlikely they will turn philanthropist or self-sacrificing insolvents, and as this play raises the question, “Is it right?”.
Bruce Gray, one of Theatre 40’s “resident” directors, sluggishly stages the action amidst a sumptuous set designed by Jeff G. Rack and attractive period costumes by Suzanne Scott. Lacking smooth transitions and tension depletes much of the intrinsic drama, and at times, the cast fails to listen actively to one another, jumping cues and hyper-anticipating dialogue, even for a Mamet adaptation. Murky British accents churn some otherwise spitfire confrontations into mush-mouth chum.
David Hunt Stafford as the fair-weather client George Booth and Lary Ohlson as the oblivious, silent partner Peacey deliver solid performances. Even with Alec Beard’s overly emphasized sighing and moping about, he carries the show solidly throughout. Amy Moorman and Debbie Jaffe are equally resplendent. With such a limited onstage role, Patrick Hurley is sheer perfection as the unconscionable patriarch, Mr. Voysey. Milan Cronovich gives a fresh, lively portrayal as the sneering younger brother, Hugh. Diana Angelina, Katherine Jameson, Jon Woodward-Kirby, John McGuire and Jaymes Wheeler rounds off the cast with exciting moments of fury and outright indignation.
It took several years for Theatre 40 to obtain the rights of this production, but timing is everything and the timing for this inherited den of thieves could not be better. As time goes by, more about Madoff and his family will come to the surface, already much of his estate has been seized leaving the matriarch with less than 3 million, a paltry sum compared to the vast, but immoral empire their fortune was built on. Like flies on a wall, “The Voysey Inheritance” offers an accurate view of the kinds of conversations and debates that must have raged within the Madoff fold as his embezzling debauchery went public. Under the microcosm of the Voysey family, it seems that human nature can be at its best when it has nothing to profit, but has the potential to be at its worst when it has everything to gain.
“The Voysey Inheritance”
Runs through July 19
Wed thru Sat at 8pm
Sunday at 2pm
Reuben Cordova Theatre
241 Moreno Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
PH: 310-364-0535
www.theatre40.org