SCR goes back to the future with ‘The Violet Hour’

Tom Titus

Richard Greenberg has become South Coast Repertory’s most-produced

living playwright and for good reason. He creates unique and

unforgettable characters, composes literate dialogue for them and

possesses the ability to make his audiences howl with laughter one

moment and shrink with dread anticipation the next.

He does all of this and more in “The Violet Hour,” the latest

Greenberg world premiere at SCR and the play that marks the opening

of the new Julianne Argyros Stage, a splendidly intimate venue. The

theater’s fashion is a throwback to the old Broadway houses, with a

balcony and upper-level boxes along the side walls.

Time is of the essence in “The Violet Hour.” The title refers to

that period of twilight in 1919 Manhattan that rewards its citizens

for getting through the work day.

It’s also the title of a voluminous manuscript by a young author

seeking publication by his longtime friend, a neophyte publisher who

becomes the center of the sort of maelstrom faced by Michael J. Fox’s

character in the “Back to the Future” movies.

This novel, which occupies three large crates, is one of two

manuscripts being considered by the young publisher. The other is a

biographical piece from a sultry, dark-skinned singer who happens to

be the publisher’s secret mistress.

As if that weren’t enough expository material, the publisher

discovers (or rather, his hyperkinetic assistant does) that a new

machine, which just arrived mysteriously in the office, is spewing

out reams of copy detailing what will occur for the rest of the 20th

century -- in the world at large and in the lives of Greenberg’s

characters, in particular. And some of it isn’t pretty.

Director Evan Yionoulis -- who’s staged a number of Greenberg’s

plays, including SCR’s premieres of “Three Days of Rain” and “Everett

Beekin” -- is an ideal artist to bring this highly literate, deeply

involving work to fruition. Her choices of character delineation are

crisp and fluid, and she maintains an edgy farcical humor through

even the most throat-catching dramatic interludes.

The young, conflicted publisher, John Pace Seavering -- who’s

using just enough of his father’s money in his start-up venture to

maintain an independent distance -- is skillfully played by Hamish

Linklater. Through Linklater’s astonished eyes, we view the years

beyond 1919 unfolding (“What do they mean, World War I,” his

assistant asks) at an accelerated pace even as the publisher weighs

his difficult choice, well aware that he’ll lose either a comrade or

a lover by his decision. While his eventual choice is obvious and

logical, getting there is more than half the fun.

Dress comic Gilbert Gottfried in 1919 garb and you have the

acerbic character of Gidger, Seavering’s screechy, politically

incorrect assistant, portrayed by Mario Cantone in the evening’s most

memorable depiction. Cantone asserts himself blatantly at the most

inopportune times as he demands acknowledgment.

“Is Gidger my first name or my last?” he asks his employer, who

really doesn’t know. Neither do we.

Michelle Hurd is silkily sensuous as Jessie, the Billie

Holliday-type entertainer 12 years Seavering’s senior, who faces a

terrible fate -- which Greenberg illustrates in a gripping fantasy

sequence -- if her memoir isn’t published. Hurd creeps catlike

through her scenes, employing her charms and her wit to force the

publisher’s hand.

Seavering’s best friend, earnestly played by Curtis Mark Williams,

is equally effective in presenting his demands for recognition, for

his emotional future depends on it.

He’s in love with a somewhat spacey heiress (beautifully depicted

by Kate Arrington) who may be forced to wed within her station if

Williams doesn’t achieve fame on his own. While their individual

scenes with Linklater crackle nicely, their lone duet falls strangely

flat.

Throw in the reams of dispatches from the future and you have a

most entertaining, thought-provoking comedy. The scenic icing on the

cake is provided by Christopher Barreca, whose breathtaking panoramic

high-rise view of Manhattan dominates the stage. Period costumes by

Candice Cain and richly detailed lighting designs from Donald Holder

complete this exquisite picture.

“The Violet Hour” is only the latest in a long line of original

plays commissioned by South Coast Repertory, but as the opener for

the new Argyros Stage, it’ll be long and justifiably remembered.

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

reviews appear Thursdays and Saturdays.