NEW YORK—If one enjoys acting (and a moral lesson or two) served up with a huge slice of ham, then Charles Busch's delicious comedy "Our Leading Lady" is the perfect dish. The play looks at 19th century American actress Laura Keene (Kate Mulgrew) who was starring in the play "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. one April evening in 1865 when honored guest President Abraham Lincoln was shot.
As the play begins, we're introduced to a somewhat rag-tag group of actors. This includes a leading man (Maxwell Caulfield) who's had a secret love affair with Keene whenever their paths have crossed over the years.
From the word "go," the play belongs to Mulgrew, playing the over the top role of a diva gone wild. This is scenery chewing at its best, complete with veiled (and not so veiled) insults, backhanded complements, and razor-sharp wit. Matching Mulgrew almost blow for blow is actress (and company mainstay) Verbena De Chamblay (Kristine Nielsen). Also good is Amy Rutberg as an aging ingénue whose looks are fading fast (and she knows it), and Reed Birney as Verbena's almost faithful husband. Exuding quiet dignity is Barbara Byrne, playing a veteran actress whose days of glory are long gone, but who treats each role as if it were a star part.
Despite her outward demeanor, Keene has some painful personal secrets to hide, as does just about everyone else present—such as Ann Duquesnay playing Laura's Chinese maid Madame Wu-Chan, but who is in reality a black runaway slave. Slowly this campy, comical piece becomes a quiet drama about the different masks we all wear and the inability to face one's demons. Another point brought out in the days after the assassination is that for these people, the show must go on because that is, simply, what they do. The character Major Hopwood (a hilarious turn by J.R. Horne) doesn't quiet understand this as he tries to interrogate the performers following Lincoln's death.
What makes the script so attractive is its many layers; such as Keene's frantic attempts to get the President to attend the play as part of her plan to take over Ford's Theatre. Knowing what's coming adds a touch of poignancy and, thanks to the dialogue, amusement to the proceedings. Wisely, the actual assassination is never trivialized, with the emotional repercussions played perfectly straight. This also makes the various characters seem flesh and blood, instead of the caricatures and stereotypes we see in the beginning.
Costumes and sets by Jane Greenwood and Santo Loquasto are excellent. The same is true for Lynne Meadow's direction, with each scene perfectly paced. "Our Leading Lady," doesn't reveal anything new or enlightening (other than who Laura Keene was), but the show is great fun. Also in the cast is Billy Wheelan.
"Our Leading Lady"
Manhattan Theatre Club
New York City Center Stage Two
131 West 55th Street
Tickets: 212-581-1212
Closes: April 29, 2007
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication THE STAGE.
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