‘Major Barbara’: a battle of wits at SCR

Tom Titus

They’ve done it before -- twice, in fact -- and they’ll probably

do it again. But the creative minds at South Coast Repertory will

probably never mount a version of George Bernard Shaw’s “Major

Barbara” with quite the surge of intellectual power that lifts the

company’s current production skyward.

Written almost a century ago, Shaw’s epic clash of conflicting

moral philosophies continues to ring true today, with the United

States on the verge of yet another armed conflict. The forces of both

the profiteer and the peacemaker find abundant ammunition in Shaw’s

voluminous verbal arsenal -- and both are represented with equal

degrees of wit and passion on SCR’s remodeled Segerstrom Stage,

formerly known as the Mainstage in the Costa Mesa complex.

Nike Doukas, in the title role of the passionate altruist, brings

a fiery emotional thrust to her character, a woman who can tame the

savage beasts of the streets with a soft word and an ironic smile.

Doukas senses when to employ humor and warmth in stressing her

position. As her father, a titan in the arms-manufacturing industry,

Dakin Matthews delivers a phenomenal portrayal of a sincere,

unapologetic capitalist. His Andrew Undershaft is a roaring lion who,

as does Doukas, ferrets out the humor and humanity of his character

in a perfectly balanced portrayal. Had Shaw witnessed Matthews’

depiction, rather than that of the apparently unskilled actor who

originated the role in 1905 (as noted in the SCR program), he surely

would have stood and cheered.

Kandis Chappell, one of SCR’s most familiar faces, draws pints of

sardonic blood as well as gallons of laughter as Undershaft’s

embittered and domineering ex-wife, who rules her extended family as

a regal matriarch, zeroing in on each character’s personal weakness.

J.D. Cullum, as Barbara’s fiance and the bass drummer in her

soul-saving movement, skillfully finds his pragmatic voice in a

classic faceoff with his prospective father-in-law late in the play.

Daniel Blinkoff is a hoot as Barbara’s foppish brother-in-law,

spouting the entire litany of familiar nonsensical English

expressions. John Hines makes a strong case for inadequacy as

Barbara’s cipher of a brother.

Leo Marks is a chilling street bully who specializes in knocking

women around, but still trembles before the major’s soothing

presence.

Jane Macfie excels as a garrulous client of the Army’s charity,

while Richard Doyle enriches his role of a proud worker cast out in

favor of a younger replacement.

Don Took as the Undershafts’ butler demonstrates how to draw howls

of laughter simply by announcing a guest. Martha McFarland exudes

warmth and naivete as Barbara’s superior officer, and Hal Landon Jr.

is a dour munitions factory foreman. Michael Louden is a

philosophical scoundrel, Shian Velie is decorative as Barbara’s

younger sister and Denise Tarr has a heart-catching cameo as a

Salvation Army worker who falls onto the wrong side of Marks’ ill

temper.

“Major Barbara” demands three imposing and contrasting scenic

backdrops and Ralph Funicello has created a trio of masterpieces --

the luxurious Undershaft drawing room, the gloomy back alley of the

mission and the gleaming white exterior of the munitions factory,

backed by a cannon.

The perfection of this season-opening production is further

amplified by Shigeru Yaji’s period costuming and Chris Parry’s

elaborate lighting designs. SCR is back in action with one of its

most impressive productions yet, a fitting inaugural for the

company’s imposing new theater.

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

reviews appear Thursdays and Saturdays.