Vanity Fair
3.5 out of 5 Stars
I am settling into my seat at the Pearl Theatre Co on 42nd street for a single reason - Kate Hamill. The production I am here for is written (adapted) for the stage by Ms. Hamill who also stars in the show. The persistent afterglow of her recent work in Sense and Sensibility (which I saw twice, Melissa, three times) urges our return to her stage. Our commitment was well rewarded. Ms. Hamill creates a unique style of theater that is right down the center of the plate of what I most enjoy in a theatrical outing. Titles like Sense and Sensibility and Vanity Fair (novel by William Thackeray, production directed by Eric Tucker) can potentially strike a fuddy/duddy chord in many minds. Once again Ms. Hamill reanimates famous but potentially stale classics into vibrant 21st-century works of wonder. Her shows mesmerize with contemporary rhythms.
Kate Hamill. Photo by Russ Rowland
Vanity Fair is a narrator driven story on both page and stage - a role exquisitely performed by Zachary Fine. He bursts through the fourth wall to open the show with the immediate message that you are about to see something special. He keeps the audience well corralled throughout this somewhat zany story. He presence is alway welcomed whether it is as the narrator or in his gender-bending role as Matilda Crawley the wealthy aunt who is wooed by her surrounding characters for both recognition and finance. With the exception of the two female leads, all other feminine roles are provided by the male actors with the simplest of the disguises such as a bonnet, skirt or wig. The effect is both believable and wildly entertaining in a way that is reminiscent of Monty Python. Ms. Hamill plays the role of Rebecca (Becky) Sharp, the intelligent and fiercely social climbing orphan, seeking a place in the social order above the lowest rung from whence she came (yes, she is the daughter of a stage performer - for shame). Amelia Sedley played by the beautiful Joey Parsons (yes, that’s female Joey) is a trusty friend to Becky, a loving mother and ultimately the widow who is somewhat undeservedly devoted to the memory of her husband, George Osborn. Our remaining actors provide a continuously swirling kaleidoscope of fun and adventure with the performers effortlessly changing roles and genders while Becky and Amelia seek love, wealth and to some extent, the meaning of life. This is, after all, a vanity fair.
left to right - Tom O'Keefe, Brad Heberlee, Zachary Fine, Kate Hamill, Joey Parsons, Ryan Quinn, Debargo Sanyal. photo by Russ Rowland
With the above said, a single flaw resulted in a rating less than the four to four and a half stars that the production might have deserved - the flaw is the running time of about two and three-quarters hours. In my opinion, the fun is quelled by the The Long Day's Journey into Night duration. Although straight drama can perhaps survive this length of the story (although not in my book), the comedic component of Vanity Fair in association with its contemporary presentation requires a more airtight package. A story is told of a struggling playwright who asked the comedy-writing titan George Kaufman for assistance with improving his opus. Without seeing the work Kaufman simply replied, “make it shorter”. This summarizes my thoughts on almost all theater I see with a running time greater than two hours. In my opinion, more is less.
I loved this show and may even see it again. I am devoted to Kate Hamill. I will continue to see anything that she participates in. I do however hope that future productions are of a duration that I can confidently send my friends and family. That being said, see this show.
This video will give you a glimpse of the fun.
Why we went: Kate Hamill
JMG