TOM TITUS -- Theater Review

There is little, if any, physical action in Edward Albee’s “A Delicate

Balance,” but verbal abuse of all varieties -- polite, overt, thinly

veiled and vehemently hostile, fueled by generous quantities of alcohol

-- runs rampant through the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama on Mainstage at

South Coast Repertory.

Years of accommodation and compromise have taken their toll on Agnes

and Tobias, an outwardly sophisticated couple who share their upscale

home with Agnes’ tipsy sister, Claire.

Their “delicate balance” is upended by the arrival of the couple’s

daughter, Julia, back from a failed fourth marriage, and their best

friends, Edna and Harry, who are seeking refuge from a nameless terror.

The problem is, the neighbors arrive first and commandeer the

daughter’s old room. This presents a launching pad for some heavy verbal

artillery, most of it fired by the outraged daughter but spread equally

among the characters.

Director Martin Benson has assembled a superb six-member company to

present Albee’s searing drama of emotional upheaval. His actors are fully

cognizant of the power of the spoken word and exercise it with unerring

accuracy. Verbal conflict gives way to visceral confrontation, rich in

skillful interpretation.

Albee has entrusted his psychological soapbox to the character of

Agnes, the coolly calculating, highly intelligent wife who “maintains”

(her well-chosen word) the family. She has long since settled for a

marriage of outward-appearing sanctity and conducts a rather imposing

seminar on nurturing this veneer of security.

As brilliantly portrayed by Linda Gehringer, Agnes is the “fulcrum”

(another of her self-descriptions) upon which the relationship turns. Her

thoughtful, passive husband -- played with the full realization and

acceptance of his flaws by Nicholas Hormann -- is the figurehead

patriarch.

When Hormann is called on to assert himself late in the play, his

character’s difficulty in achieving that emotional level is achingly

depicted.

Disrupting their daily lives is Claire, the imbibing sister who

insists she’s not an alcoholic. Kandis Chappell delivers an outstanding

performance in this comic relief role with significant impact. Her

mission as a lingering thorn in her sister’s side is splendidly

accomplished.

Richard Doyle and Hope Alexander -- each of whom date back more than

35 years to SCR’s first season -- strike an unsettling note as the

terrified friends seeking emotional refuge. Doyle, like Hormann,

underplays his role to high effect, while Alexander insinuates herself

into the others’ lives, especially the daughter’s, with maddening

efficiency in a deliciously delineated performance.

The conflict reaches a fever pitch with the arrival of Rene Augesen as

Julia, a casualty of the marital battlefields. Augesen injects a fierce

note of outraged opposition, which builds to a frightening confrontation

in a beautifully constructed portrayal that strips her emotionally

distraught character to the bone.

Thomas Buderwitz’s living room setting projects exaggerated elegance

and opulence, complete with an imposing ceiling and an almost psychedelic

exterior of pink tree leaves. It’s beautifully detailed by Tom Ruzika’s

all-encompassing lighting effects.

“A Delicate Balance” is a veritable banquet for playgoers who enjoy a

more cerebral diet, yet it thoroughly satisfies those accustomed to

conflict and confrontation. As this season’s entry in SCR’s “great

American playwrights” series, it’s a worthy work of depth and dimension.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

WHAT: “A Delicate Balance”

WHERE: South Coast Repertory, 665 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and

2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays until Feb. 11

COST: $28-$49

PHONE: (714) 708-5555