The Age of Innocence, Fichandler Theatre, Arena Stage, Washington, DC

 

A. J. Shively as Newland Archer and Shereen Ahmed as Countess Ellen Olenska in the Arena Stage production of The Age of Innocence. Photo credit: Daniel Rader.

The Age of Innocence, a new adaptation by Karen Zacarías based on Edith Wharton’s 1920 novel (which made her the first woman ever to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Literature), is given an elegant production under the direction of Hana S. Sharif in the Fichandler Theatre at Arena Stage, through March 30.  A fascinating glimpse into the lives of a handful of socially-elite, “old money” New Yorkers, The Age of Innocence is set in the 1870s during what has become known as the “Gilded Age.” We see and learn the mores and social conventions of the aristocratic class, focusing on one particular couple who are navigating the spoken and unspoken “rules” of the upper class.

Newland Archer is a well-heeled, up-and-coming aristocratic lawyer who is engaged to May Welland, a woman who has been brought up in a highly-regarded family to be a perfect wife for someone of Newland’s station. All is not quite what it may seem in May’s family: her Granny Mingott controls much of what her family has and does.

Another of Granny’s grandchildren, May’s cousin Ellen, has brought scandal to the family. Married to a Polish noble, Countess Ellen Olenskaya has returned to New York from Europe to escape her troubled marriage. It is her intention to divorce her husband because of his infidelity and cruelty (this is implied but never fully stated). The standards of the class at this time accept the idea of a woman living apart from her husband, but divorce is unacceptable.

Delphi Borich as May Welland and A. J. Shively as Newland Archer in The Age of Innocence. Photo credit: Daniel Rader.

Having known each other years before as children, Newland is fascinated by Ellen, intrigued by her background and drawn to her despite the shame she has brought upon the family. He is smitten with Ellen and she with him. He loves May and knows that he has made a good match, but he cannot help imagining how much more interesting and exciting life would be with Ellen than with May. Just as he makes up his mind to leave May, she gives him unexpected news that assures he will not follow Ellen to Europe after all. Flash forward over 20 years: Newland and his son Dallas are in Paris, with his son anxious to meet his late mother’s cousin, and he encourages Newland to join him at her apartment. Newland realizes, though, that seeing her again would be a mistake.

Entering the theatre, the audience sees four chandeliers on the shiny, textured floor, to be raised when the play begins. Over each of the four corners of the theatre are structures suggesting boxes at the opera, which provide opportunities for peripheral characters to see (some with binoculars or opera glasses) who else is there, and with whom. (In much of history, and perhaps especially during the Gilded Age, some patrons go to the opera not to see, but to be seen.) Around the arena, just above floor level, are suggestions of gaslights. Over the course of the next three hours, center stage takes us to a variety of locations, from Granny’s sitting room to an archery contest in Newport, a glittering dinner party, and the interior of May’s carriage, along with many others. Some scenes are suggested (May’s carriage, for example), but most of the settings are exquisitely detailed with visual accuracy. The production makes excellent use of the raising and lowering of the central platform, capturing the opulence of the locales. Indeed, the set design by Tim Mackabee makes maximum use of the entire theatre.

Fabio Toblini’s costume designs are beautifully realized and worn with appropriate attitude. The period gives Toblini exquisite silhouettes, especially for the female characters, and free reign to use color and texture to underline the characters’ statuses and relationships. Highlights include the vivid red and green dresses worn by the Countess Ellen, the purple one worn by May in Act II, and the beautifully layered costume for Granny Mingott. These are some of the most luxurious period costumes I have seen at Arena Stage (or anywhere else, for that matter). Lighting designer Xavier Pierce makes effective use of those chandeliers on the stage at the beginning and the faux gaslights circling the arena. Most of the “movement” of the lighting is so subtle it goes unnoticed, but there is an extraordinary moment near the end of Act I when the changes in the lighting create a noticeable tension, amplified by the sound design and original music by Charles Coes and Nathan A. Roberts. Tommy Kurzman’s wig and hair designs are regal and detailed. Excellent work from the entire design team!

Shereen Ahmed as Countess Ellen Olenska and Delphi Borich as May Welland in The Age of Innocence. Photo credit: Daniel Rader.

In pre-show remarks (as is customary on opening nights at Arena), Hana S. Sharif, who serves as Arena’s artistic director and directed The Age of Innocence, alluded to the play’s announced three-hour running time by assuring the audience that it would not seem that long. She was correct. The pacing and intensity of the performances kept us wholly engaged.

Not being familiar with the novel, I cannot comment on how much this new adaptation by Karen Zacarías adheres to or varies from the original. A great deal of exposition is given through narration by the actress who plays Granny Mingott. The play’s dialogue is appropriate for the characters and period. As was the case with Arena’s recent Death on the Nile (also directed by Sharif), the transfer from page to stage requires elimination of extraneous characters and events in order to concentrate on the core content. I hope that other theatre companies will produce the Zacarías version as well.

Which brings us to this “gilded” cast, composed primarily of newcomers to Arena Stage. An exception is Felicia Curry, an Arena and DC theatre stalwart. Curry appears as Granny Mingott and handles the extensive exposition mentioned earlier, with just enough differentiation between her character and her role as narrator. In her narrative capacity, she delivers her remarks with a certain wry wit as she comments on the manners of the age. She plays Granny with a twinkle in her eye, enjoying her position as the family matriarch. Curry is always eminently watchable. In a very practical matter, I marvel at her mastery in memorizing and delivering the narration without being able to interact with others, as well as appearing in various locations throughout the theatre.

Felicia Curry as Granny Mingott in The Age of Innocence. Photo credit: Daniel Rader.

A. J. Shively gives a strong performance as Newland. Shively is a properly romantic leading man, demonstrating the inner turmoil of a man torn between two possible outcomes: following his head or his heart and then trying to contend with societal requirements in either circumstance. Shively is well-matched by the performances of his character’s two possible loves. Shereen Ahmed is bold, passionate, and a bit enigmatic as Countess Ellen Olenskaya. Ahmed portrays her as a fighter and a survivor who tries to stick to her own moral compass. Delphi Borich as May shows her character’s evolution from a docile fiancée and bit of “arm candy” to a determined (and possibly manipulative) wife who knows more than her husband thinks she does.

In addition to these three, the other performers all play “[insert name of a character] and Others,” sometimes making it difficult to tell exactly who they are. (I would like to have had a listing of all the characters each plays.) It may not matter since the primary purpose of some of the minor characters is to illustrate or comment on the society’s norms. Two standouts are Paolo Montalban, energetic as Beaufort, a flirtatious and nefarious businessman and Anthony Newfield, smug as Sillerton Jackson, a member of the Old Guard who monitors all the gossip and any deviations from accepted attitudes and behavior. Other cast members include Regina Aquino as Mrs. Archer (Newland’s mother), Lise Bruneau as Mrs. Van der Luyden, Anna Theoni DiGiovanni as Jenny Archer (Newland’s sister), Noah Mutterperl as the Valet, Natalya Lynette Rathnam as Mrs. Welland (May’s mother), and Jacob Yeh as Dallas Archer (Newland’s adult son).

Certain members of the American public, it seems, have demonstrated an interest in the lives of the “upper crust,” whose lives may be more glamorous than theirs. Witness the popularity of such television programs as “Dallas” and “Dynasty,” as well as today’s “The White Lotus” and “The Gilded Age,” the latter of which is set in the same time period as this play. If you have or have ever had such sentiments, The Age of Innocence satisfies that interest in elegance and style in an historic context. See it before it closes on March 30.