The Milwaukee Repertory Theater opens its 2011-12 season with the regional premiere of a play that pays homage to one of the theater's most famous acting couples. Ten Chimneys refers to the summer estate of the late Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt. A Wisconsin native, Lunt bought the property in tiny Genessee Depot, about an hour's drive from Milwaukee. The home was more than a private getaway for this celebrity couple. Over the years, the Lunts were frequently visited by members of Broadway's "A" list. This included such theater stars as Helen Hayes, Noel Coward and Laurence Olivier.
Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher does an excellent job at recreating the atmosphere of this leafy idyll. (The estate is open for public tours.) When the Lunts lived here, it was the site of parties, play readings and rehearsals, long formal dinners, horseback rides and breakfasts in bed.
The play's structure is loosely based on Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. In Hatcher's half-realistic, half-fictional version of life at Ten Chimneys, the Lunts have invited a number of The Seagull's cast members to run through a series of informal rehearsals. This includes a very young Uta Hagen and also Sydney Greenstreet, the veteran stage actor who later switched to film roles. The rest of the cast comprises Alfred's family: his mother and his half-brother and sister (from his mother's second marriage).
Although the Seagull/Ten Chimneys parallels are interesting to observe, Hatcher's play is so absorbing that audiences can completely enjoy themselves without any previous knowledge of Chekhov, the Lunts or even Wisconsin. The dialogue, delivered with expert polish by this accomplished cast, often resembles the witty repartee of Noel Coward.
Hatcher chisels the characters with a sure hand, which allows them to slowly reveal themselves during the performance. For instance, Lynn and Alfred may not be as secure a couple as first appears. The surprise arrival of Uta Hagen arouses instant suspicion on Lynn's part. Her feelings are only slightly diverted by the arrival of Sydney Greenstreet, an old friend whom the Lunts have nicknamed "G-string." Other famous actors who visited Ten Chimneys are sometimes mentioned, but they do not appear as characters.
Chicago-based actor Wendi Weber is stunning as Lynn Fontanne. Lithe and lovely, she knows how to make an entrance. Her wardrobe for "the country" seems fairly substantial. Lynn's clothes range from the girlish, colorfully smocked dresses that suggest Alfred's Scandinavian background, to slinky, glamorous gowns that wouldn't seem out of place at a formal affair.As Fontanne, Weber displays her inner diva to the max. She often trades barb for barb with Alfred's mother, the hilarious Hattie.Actor Linda Stephens is splendid as the jealous, melodramatic Hattie. Her fawning over Alfred makes it all the more painful to watch the short shrift she gives her other children. Hattie basically orders them around them like servants, as do Alfred and Lynn.
As Alfred, Grant Goodman does a good job, too, despite his looking and acting a bit too much like comic film actor Will Ferrell.
Director Joe Hanreddy, the theater's former artistic director, wisely emphasizes the show's family dynamics. This universal aspect of Ten Chimneys makes it more than just a historical documentary of one particular family. Production values are superior even to the Rep's usually high standards. A sun-dappled set features a Hansel and Gretel-style actor's studio nestled amid lush greenery. One also must note the costumes, particularly the stunning, authentically styled gowns worn by Lynn. The Rep has started the fall theater season on the right note with this memorable show.
