As a female journalist myself, I was curious to learn about the life of Anne Royall, a former maid who married her employer, a landed gentleman in the early 1800s when such marriages were rarely allowed, and then rose to become America’s first female journalist at a time when women were “supposed” to stay home and take care of their families, letting men run the world. Written by Mike Teverbaugh and directed by Natalia Lazarus at the Promenade Playhouse, the world premiere of The (Mostly) True Story of a Common Scold is led by Dendrie Taylor’s wonderful performance as Anne Royall, who in the 1830s, was alarmed by speeches from evangelical leaders declaring their intent to reshape America into a Christian nation, when, in her opinion, their actions did not follow what they preached.
Calling herself no part of any organized religion or political party, Anne decides to speak her mind by printing a newspaper from her Washington, D.C., kitchen to wage a personal war in print against evangelicals who she felt were trying to subvert the U.S. Constitution about the separation of church and state. And since women had no real power in public circles, the men believing the self-centered, money-grabbing religious zealots for their own gain set out to silence Anne by toppling her stagecoach as she set out to spread the truth in Philadelphia.
Jake O'Flaherty, Dendrie Taylor and Scott Parkin
This leads to them harassing Anne at her Washington, D.C. home as she convalesces from a broken leg, tended to by her loving and “free” maid Hazel, a woman Anne taught to read during a time when such lessons were forbidden (played with great emotional depth by Zuri Alexander). Hazel constantly warns Anne to settle down and stop trying to change things she cannot change, even though she agrees with Anne’s opinions.
Zuri Alexander as Hazel
But Anne continues to try and open the eyes of anyone who will listen to her, either in print or in person. And ultimately, in a bid to silence her, one of the evangelical zealots, Reverend Stiles (Satiar Pourvasei, who commands the stage to perfection) has her arrested on several charges, including being “a common scold,” a habitually rude and brawling woman whose conduct, in early common law, was subject to punishment as a public nuisance, often by being “dunked” (arm-fastened into a chair and dunked into a river or pond).
Jake O’Flaherty as George Watterston and Satiar Pourvasei as Rev. Ezra Stiles
But Anne remains steadfast and speaks her mind against the “blue-nosed black coats” out to get her, surviving ordeals in public and a courtroom — resolved to defend what she loved about the new nation and her desire for it to survive without the interference of religious zealots who wanted only their ideals to be the law of the land.
Anne prepares for her trial -- Dendrie Taylor, Tom Waters
There are moments of much-needed levity, especially when references are made to the political figures of the time, which can easily be compared to what is going on right now in politics during this election year. Reference to a leader’s stupidity for holding a Bible upside down while preaching certainly got me giggling, as did references to those “poor souls sleeping on the streets” needing to be moved elsewhere without any real solutions other than offering them a meal in exchange for their vote or a small donation to the “cause.”
Zuri Alexander as Hazel
And when Anne reveals how the Reverend Stiles talks a good game but never follows through on what he promises to his loyal followers, especially after taking their money through “theft or the threat of God’s vengeance,” it’s easy to understand why she dedicated her life to proving their falsehoods to the general public. No wonder they wanted her dead, with Anne proclaiming to the end that “my mind is restless but my body as not” as she had to slow down on making public appearances. However, in a moving turn of events, the ever-loyal Hazel goes on to step up and speak up for Anne in public.
Satiar Pourvasei as Rev. Ezra Stiles
Other members of the talented cast who portray more than a dozen characters are Tom Waters, Scott Parkin, Jake O’Flaherty, and Scott Burkholder. But playing so many characters at such a fast pace sometimes got a bit confusing as to which character was appearing in each scene. Fortunately, playwright Teverbaugh has each person introduced at the start of each scene in which they appear. Costume changes, designed by Amanda Aoki and Shon Le Blanc, assisted with character identification. Production and lighting design by Chris Kooreman enhance the entire production
Dendrie Taylor as Anne Royall with Zuri Alexander as Hazel
But even at 90 minutes with no intermission, the play needs a break, as so much (mostly) historical information is presented in each scene, followed by — after Anne’s arrest — a very wordy trial. There’s no chance for viewers to organize their thoughts about the play’s action and characters’ motivations.
Anne takes a stagecoach to Philly -- Dendrie Taylor, Scott Parkin
photos courtesy of LAPAP
The (Mostly) True Story of a Common Scold
Los Angeles Performing Arts Productions
Promenade Playhouse, 10931 West Pico Blvd. (between Westwood Blvd. and Veteran)
free parking in the lot behind the theater
Fri at 7; Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on October 27, 2024
for tickets, ($17 in advance only using code 008 here; $35 at the door), call 310.656.8070
