THE HOUR HAS COME
The Trinity Theatre in Mission Valley is currently presenting a too-brief revival of A. G. Gurney‘s comedy-drama The Cocktail Hour. The show originally debuted in 1988 at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre and went on to a run in New York City. The Cocktail Hour has been labeled a comedy of manners, a category of popular theater that satirizes the lifestyle of upper class white society. The Trinity production does offer plenty of laughs but its treatment of serious dramatic material is what makes the play really worth seeing.
The action is played in actual time, a bit under two hours. It is set in the upscale northeastern United States, a common locale for American comedies of manners. There are five characters in the story, including a key figure who never appears on stage. The four live characters have gathered in the family home of the patriarch, a comical blowhard named Bradley. The occasion is a dinner preceded by an extended consumption of alcoholic beverages, a key component of all comedies of manners. There are also quips directed at the state of the theater at the time, many of which no longer seem relevant.
The four on-stage characters are Bradley, (Davis Janisch), his wife Ann (Sharonfaith Horton), their visiting elder son John (Bobby Imperato), and daughter Nina (Hannah Luckinbill). Younger son Jeeter is absent from the gathering (about which more later). Much of the dialogue is humorous but dark clouds are gathering. Bradley is upset because John, who works for a publisher, has written an autobiographical play that Bradley fears will make fun of his family. Nina is insulted that she isn’t more fully represented in the play.
In the second act the gloves come off. The dialogue turns in to a blizzard of grudges, resentments, disappointments, and perceived injustices going back decades. Conversations erupt into heated exchanges in which accusations fly hither and thither. We learn that the missing Jeeter has left home to resettle in California, leaving a secure but boring job for the freedom of fulfilling his desire to build boats away from his claustrophobic domestic life. Will the household in crisis — with martinis and glasses of scotch at the ready — achieve assorted truces?
This was my first visit to the Trinity Theatre and I was impressed. The intimate theater space fits in snugly in an upscale shopping center. The production values are high. I loved Janisch’s bellowing, opinionated Bradley, at least for the length of this play. It would have been excruciating to live with him on a daily basis, but at the Trinity his outrageous bluster is a hoot. Imperato is tremendous as John, battling his family’s prejudices against his play as he desperately tries to carve out a drama career.
Hannah Luckinbill’s Nina whines and complains her way through the first act but the young lady becomes a stronger dramatic force in the second act as she verbally slugs it out with John. Horton’s Ann is a step behind the other three more vivid characters, but she does well enough as the less shrill Ann who seems willing to sacrifice principles for a comfortable and uncontroversial home life.
Director Jaeonnie Davis-Crawford expertly guides us through all the raging tempers and injured feelings in Green’s script. The scenic design by Maya Aizenman sets the proper tone for the living room dominated by the frequently visited bar, assisted by Debi Schneiderwind‘s props. Austyn Myers (lighting), Eliza Vedar (sound design), and Cambry Staudt (costumes) round out the accomplished design team.
The Cocktail Hour is something of a period piece, but Green’s taut writing keeps the audience involved throughout and the quartet of performers is first rate. It’s a shame there are so few performances remain. Local audiences will be missing some excellent theater.
photos courtesy of Trinity Theatre Company
The Cocktail Hour
Trinity Theatre, 1640 Camino Del Rio N. in in Mission Valley
Fri and Sat at 7; sun at 2
ends on February 4, 2024
for tickets ($25), visit TTC
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I totally was intrigued and captivated by the family drama played out for the audience. Sadly I could totally relate to the father named Bradley holding on to his adult children and manipulating them for his own benefit. The alcohol was the elephant in the room giving everyone permission to voice their innermost insecurity. I really loved watching the eldest son trying to appease his father who ultimately decides the play is after all a good idea. Really great play. Hope it is seem by many.