NEW YORK—This production marks a unique opportunity to see a play by none other than famed author Ernest Hemingway, brought to the boards for the first time by the prestigious Mint Theater Company.
Based on Hemingway's personal experiences as a correspondent in Spain in 1937 for the North American Newspaper Alliance, The Fifth Column details the adventures of Philip Rawlings (Kelly AuCoin), a fictional American counter-espionage agent working for the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War.
Holed up in the quirky, vulnerable Hotel Florida in Madrid, Rawlings intersperses meetings with his military colleagues with trysts with his enticing next door neighbor, Dorothy Bridges (Heidi Armbruster).
The highly attractive Bridges, a Vassar graduate, is also a journalist but clueless as to Rawlings's important and dangerous activities, although the terrifying sound of bombs frequently falling nearby attests to the crucial nature of their situation.
Notwithstanding, nothing keeps Dorothy from finding pleasure in things of a sensuous nature, like her newly purchased elegant silver fox coat, which helps her take her mind off of ugly reality.
In addition to bombs, a young soldier is shot in cold blood in Rawlings's room, being mistaken for Rawlings himself. Things indeed get dicey, especially when Rawlings is later visited by Max (Ronald Guttman), an important colleague who will ultimately lead them both to an encounter with a nest of Franco supporters.
Jonathan Banks' taut direction results in an exciting, fast-paced production, with good use made of the various characters that Hemingway has peopled his world with. The demanding and jealous prostitute, Anita (Nicole Shalhoub) adores Philip and has it in for Dorothy Bridges.
The hotel manager (Carlos Lopez), after making what he thinks is endearing small talk in his uniquely broken English, tries to cadge any food the Americans might be willing to part with, as his family is eternally short of provisions. The hotel maid, Petra (Teresa Yenque), not only keeps the rooms in order but serves as a confidante to Dorothy. All performances are first rate, with the casting right on the button.
The entire performance flies by with the speed of a movie adventure, aided by the flexible, authentic-appearing set by Vicki R. Davis and neat costumes by Clint Ramos. The Fifth Column is a vibrant and compelling drama.
The Fifth Column
Mint Theater Company
311 West 43rd Street
Tickets (212) 315-0231 or www.minttheater.org
Closes May 18, 2008
Diana Barth writes and publishes New Millennium, an arts newsletter. For information: diabarth@juno.com
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