NEW YORK—At what point do parents stop taking responsibility for their children and what happens to those who can't ever stand on their own two feet? These questions are explored in St. John Hankin's 1905 play The Return of the Prodigal, a work which is topical, thought-provoking, and brilliantly played.
After starting out as a satire of English middle-class morality, (along the lines of George Bernard Shaw), things turns more serious when the Jacksons' (a prosperous clothing manufacturing family in Glouscesterire) youngest son Eustace (Roderick Hill) suddenly returns after a five-year absence. Broke and with no prospects, this prodigal son has come home for a respite from the world. However, he quickly decides not to leave again—at least until some sort of permanent arrangement is made for his financial well-being.
Eustace feels no joy for his actions which basically force him to blackmail his father (Richard Kline) and older brother Henry (Bradford Cover) but feels he has no choice. A self-admitted "failure" in making his way in the world, he sees himself doing what he must to survive. When his father angrily proclaims that he would rather starve than be reduced to begging, Eustace quietly remarks, "You evidently don't know much about starving."
This scene takes on an ironic note when one recalls how, earlier in the play, Eustace's mother (Tandy Cronyn) and several of her friends had commented on how it was a sin for poor people to have too many children as it was a burden to take care of them all. The final results here are not completely satisfactory to any of the characters, but they are believable and realistic.
Hankin's script is quite powerful, with little extraneous dialogue, and Jonathan Banks' strong direction keeps the story moving at a good pace and never allows the work to become overly preachy. Indeed, many of the scenes and dialogue are tinged with a bit of humor—not to make the subject matter easier, but rather to say there are times one simply must laugh at one's troubles, because that's all one can do.
Hill fits perfectly into the role of Eustace, projecting an outward air of frivolity, with an image of a loveable ne'er-do-well. But as time goes on, we also see his inner pain, resignation, and impotence at being unable to improve his life. Matching him perfectly is Kline as Eustace's father; a man who has always loved his son, but who's attitude towards him changes from contempt to anger, to pity, and finally, to sadness.
Cover is good as Henry, seemingly pompous at the beginning but in fact, solid and stable with a few passions of his own. There's also the family daughter (Leah Curney) who, in a heartbreaking turn, sadly reveals that due to her responsibilities to her parents, she'll never have the chance to leave home and start a family of her own.
The set by Clint Ramos (associate set designer is Crag Napoliello) is lovely, which acts to open up the production and make it almost timeless.
Also in the cast are Lee Moore, Kate Levy, Margot White, W. Alan Nebelthau, Cecelia Riddett, and Robin Haynes.
The Return of the Prodigal
Presented by the Mint Theater Company
311 West 43rd Street
Tickets: 212-315-0231 or http://www.minttheater.org
Closes: July 8
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication THE STAGE.
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