Theater Review: ‘Such Things Only Happen in Books’

| |
Related articles: Arts & Entertainment > Theatre

NEW YORK—Thornton Wilder is a master at spinning yarns about the foibles and failings of human beings while at the same time, wrapping his characters in cloaks of inner strength. This prowess is nicely shown in five of his short works presented by the Keen Company under the umbrella title “Such Things Only Happen in Books.”

Unfortunately, the one rather glaring misfire of the evening comes first, in the playlet “Now the Servant’s Name was Malchus.” A biblical character, Malchus (Clayton Apgar) asks The Lord (Kathleen Butler) to remove his name from the Bible, as well as from the memory of man. An interesting concept, but the piece gets bogged down in too much pontification to really connect with the audience.

Things go much better in “Cement Hands.” In Massachusetts circa 1958, the well-to-do Diana (Pepper Binkley) and the even more well-to-do Roger (Apgar) are about to get married and are meeting Edward (Kevin Hogan), Diana's uncle and guardian, for lunch.

While Edward is quite happy about the impending nuptials, he has arranged this meeting to advise Diana of Edward’s tightness with a dollar. He explains that this trait runs through Edward’s entire male side of his family, with the women having to go to great lengths to get some spending money of their own.

The play is both a biting satire on the very rich, as well as a gentle examination of the compromises one has to make in marriage. The irony is that Edward’s family has set up numerous funds for the poor and disadvantaged, but when it comes to parting with money on a more personal level (such as picking up a check or giving a tip to the waiter), they are simply unable to do so.

The most amusing piece of the group is “Such Things Only Happen in Books.” John (Paul Niebanck), a New Hampshire novelist, likes to spend his evenings playing solitaire and drinking cocoa while wife Gabrielle (Sue Cremin) sits nearby knitting. Currently, John is searching for the plot for his next book, rejecting any suggestions he’s offered as being unbelievable.

However John is so set in his ways, he’s unable to recognize that many of the elements he dismisses out of hand (such as a long-ago murder, an escaped convict, a secret affair, and the search for a hidden cache of wealth) are in fact happening right under his nose. A rollicking good time, the play is a lesson on the dangers of taking things and people for granted.

The story with the most depth is “In Shakespeare and the Bible,” finished in 1957, but not performed until 40 years later. John (Apgar), a young attorney, is summoned to the home of the mysterious Mrs. Mowbrey (Butler), a woman he knows from the past. It turns out John is marrying Mrs. Mowbrey’s niece Kate (Binkley), who will be arriving momentarily and who hasn’t seen her aunt in over 15 years.

Mrs. Mowbrey has long been disowned by her family due to her illicit activities and wants John to handle her legal affairs. She also wants to be able to see Kate occasionally once John and Kate are married.

However, things aren’t that simple. Kate demands that she know the connection between John and her aunt, placing him in a terrible conundrum. If John tells Kate the truth, she may leave him for his sullied past; but if he lies, she may leave him because she cannot trust him. It’s an interesting story about what women want, what they need, and how their wits and common sense are their greatest allies when trying to survive in a man’s world.

Things wind up nicely with “The Angel That Troubled the Waters,” a touching playlet based on a biblical tale where various infirm and disease-ridden souls congregate around a pool, waiting for an angel to stir the waters. When that happens, the first one who enters the pool will be healed. Emotionally powerful, with a great performance by Kevin Hogan as one of the invalids, it’s a lovely end to the evening.

What ties all the stories together is the way Wilder is able to bring forth the humanity, faults, and frailty of each of the characters, all of whom have an agenda of some kind, whether they know it or not.

The cast, many of whom play multiple roles, are excellent. Standouts include Apgar as Roger, a man unable to part with a dime; Niebanck as the oh-so-blind novelist; Butler as the worldly Mrs. Mowbrey, and Binkley as Diana, a girl who loses the blinders of youth.

The evening is nicely directed by Carl Forsman and Jonathan Silverstein. Sandra Goldmark’s sets work well, aptly setting the period for the different works (except perhaps for the first one). Costumes by Theresa Squire are fine.

Such Things Only Happen in Books
The Clurman Theatre
Theatre Row Studios
410 West 42nd Street
Tickets: 212-279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Closes: Nov. 14

Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication, The Stage.