Older actresses shine in rarely revived Noël Coward play at Theatricum Botanicum

“Waiting successful the Wings” doesn’t travel astir each that often. A precocious play of Noël Coward’s, it was considered outdated erstwhile it premiered successful 1960. In Britain, the “angry young men” question led by John Osborne successful the theatre was underway, and the societal pretensions and expertly crafted witticisms of Coward’s comedies had fallen retired of fashion.

The play lone had its Broadway debut successful 1999, successful a accumulation that starred Rosemary Harris and Lauren Bacall. The publication was revised, but adjacent inactive it was seen arsenic a melodramatic throwback to a quaint yet belabored schoolhouse of playwriting. What redeems this creakily plotted enactment is the showcase it provides for a institution of savvy older actresses.

These contradictory impressions persist successful the caller accumulation of “Waiting successful the Wings,” moving successful repertory astatine Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum done Oct. 10. Experiencing Coward outdoors connected a summertime nighttime is some an amusing delight and an expositional slog. He sets truthful galore plots successful question that you can’t assistance wishing helium mightiness hide astir 1 oregon 2 of them.

Katherine Griffith, from left, Michele Schultz, Will Collyer and Susan Angelo successful “Waiting successful the Wings” astatine Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.

(Ian Flanders)

But the play, which is acceptable successful “The Wings,” a foundation location for retired actresses, provides a feast for seasoned thespians for whom it would beryllium impolite to inquire their age. Led by Susan Angelo, Jan Wikstrom and Ellen Geer, this ensemble, nether the absorption of Willow Geer, diverts and distracts from the mustier aspects of Coward’s style.

Wikstrom plays May Davenport, 1 of the residents astatine the status home. She has retained her regal hauteur and formidable sang froid, the aforesaid qualities that made her specified a sensation connected the British stage. A paragon of bully taste, she is reserved by quality but knows however to wield a melodramatic motion erstwhile the juncture calls for one, arsenic it does erstwhile she hears the dreaded quality that Lotta Bainbridge (Angelo), her detested rival, is moving into the home.

It wasn’t contention implicit a portion that kept them from speaking for the past 30 years. Their feud has much idiosyncratic roots, which Coward takes his clip to reveal. But May’s impenetrable froideur toward Lotta makes beingness chilly for everyone astir her.

The residents whitethorn person plentifulness of complaints astir being sent retired to pasture erstwhile they’re inactive dreaming of the spotlight. But they’re a bully humored acceptable and don’t similar it erstwhile tensions linger. Cora Clarke (Cynthia Kania) mightiness beryllium astringent successful her remarks and Deirdre O’Malley (Earnestine Phillips) whitethorn beryllium afloat of occurrence and brimstone, but each these aged girls request is the tinkle of a amusement tune to brighten their moods.

Miranda Heath, from left, Will Collyer and Isabel Stallings successful “Waiting successful the Wings” astatine Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.

(Ian Flanders)

I loved watching Katherine Griffith’s Bonita Belgrave, Gini Autumn Benson’s Almina Clare, Jane Macfie’s Maudie Melrose and Michele Schultz’s Estelle Craven find wily laughs successful unexpected places. But it’s the rift betwixt May and Lotta that centers this engaged story, which includes much subplots than tin beryllium rapidly synopsized here.

Not each of the secondary characters are good cast. A fewer of the subordinate roles are amateurishly performed, but the main parts are vividly pulled off, and I was mostly impressed by the ensemble’s travel and cohesion.

The storyline involving Sarita Myrtle (Ellen Geer), 1 of the dotier residents who has a unsafe penchant for stealing matches, brings into stark alleviation the frighteningly susceptible world of getting older. It’s not conscionable these retired actresses who are waiting successful the wings but decease itself.

The secondary crippled concerning Zelda Fenwick (Isabel Stallings), a guileless tabloid writer who is penning nether screen a communicative astir the once-famous denizens of the status home, reflects Coward’s content that, portion motives whitethorn beryllium impure, radical can’t wholly beryllium written disconnected arsenic rogues. (Especially erstwhile expiation brings not lone a lawsuit of champagne but the wealth for a longed for solarium.)

Michele Schultz, from left, Ellen Geer and Cynthia Kania successful “Waiting successful the Wings” astatine Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.

(Ian Flanders)

No 1 exemplifies this generous worldview amended than Lotta, who turns retired not to beryllium the villain of May’s darkest imaginings but a complicated, compassionate and alternatively philosophical quality being. Their eventual detente turns into thing much meaningful for some of them, and Wikstrom and Angelo workout the cleanable magnitude of restraint to marque their characters’ tentative relationship believable.

Coward has undergone a reassessment since helium fell retired of favour aft his prime. The darker strains successful his comedies person been drawn retired by directors anxious to amusement there’s much to the playwright than his drafting country panache.

“Waiting successful the Wings” is improbable to beryllium included successful this reconsideration. The play is intelligibly the spot of different epoch — an epoch predating adjacent erstwhile the enactment was written. In some code and structure, it harks backmost to the benignant of theatrical properties that May and Lotta excelled successful during the archetypal fractional of the 20th century.

This benignant inactive has its charms, but the play needs a much decisive editing manus than the 1 that is escaped capable to alteration Deirdre’s inheritance from an Irish pistillate to a Black American but hesitant to bash the benignant of pruning that a modern revival demands. Still, it’s a banquet for older actresses, who get to beryllium that, portion minds and bodies are mortal, artistry doesn’t person an expiration date.