Review: The “Madwoman of Chaillot” is must-see theater

Last weekend, TeriLyn Brown went to see Madwoman of Chaillot and she came away very impressed. Here’s our writeup from last week before the show opened; here’s more from TeriLyn:

Deb, as the Madwoman

Wherever he is, Jean Giraudoux must surely be smiling this week. Giraudoux was a playwright who began writing after the first World War – an era of terrible disillusionment and cynicism.  The extremely high casualty rate and horrific psychological toll of World War I on the youth of the period caused a time of despair perhaps unparalleled in literary history.

While many writers at the time turned to the “shock and awe” of realism, portraying the consequences of the “War To End All Wars” in horrifying detail, Giraudoux turned to a theater of ideas, to make direct political and social statements with a sense of high style.  In Madwoman of Chaillot, currently in a gorgeous and utterly faithful production at the SJCC, he was able to make arguably the most profound statement of his belief that imaginative dis-order, rather than the rigid control of absolute order, is the only road to human happiness and salvation. I am not sure how the theater was able to see current events unfolding on the horizon, but I cannot imagine a more prescient piece of theater.

Unbelievably, the play was written in 1945.  How destruction of the planet by oil drilling, stock market scams, and corporate greed made their way into a play written almost 70 years ago is a question with no answer that I know of.

SJCC’s production is directed by Susan Williams, with an eye for detail and narrative easily lost or deflected in a play this long and large.  The cast numbers 29, the set changes are huge, and there are lots of words.  But I was never bored, the plot line was always clear, and, best of all, Giraudoux’ ideas were always lucid and accessible, attaching themselves to the story as lightly as Aurelia’s iris corsage.

It is impossible to compliment the entire cast and crew here, but the ensemble work is remarkable.  Deb Langhans, as Aurelia, and her fellow Madwomen are delicious; Ken Serratt, as The President, and his gang of four are a worthy counterpoint; the inhabitants of Chaillot are each a full and fascinating character study by themselves.  The costume and scene design are a visual feast. The design is described as being influenced by “steampunk,” but it is perhaps more accurate to say that steampunk with its detailed mechanical intricacy is used to contrast the antagonists with the colorful humanism of the people of Chaillot.  The overall collaged design, a technique known as “bricolage,” perfectly suits the feeling of chaos turned to sanity, of new ideas out of old.

Giraudoux’, in his own life, turned gender upside-down/inside-out.  Williams’ casting does the same; at times it is hard to tell who is playing whom, so to speak.  Giraudoux loved humor and irony and “Style” with a capital “S”; Madwoman of Chaillot has all of these in abundance.

It is very rare to have the opportunity to see theater that integrates form, design, narrative, ideas, and entertainment to this degree.

Remarkable.  Bravo!!

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.