Think Chekhov-lite as you watch the comings and goings of this elite thespian family led by its formidable matriarch, Anna Patterson. Donald Margulies's new play, The Country House,now at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater, has evident Chekhovian influences. However, once the ambiance of John Lee Beatty's casually comfy country escape in the Berkshires, the bright witticisms, and the promise of the intriguing, complicated characters wears thin, blandness sets in.
Leading the talented cast is willowy and imposing Blythe Danner, tailor-made as Anna, the grande dame of the theater and châtelaine of the summer manse, ruling the stage as the dramatic diva whose time in the spotlight has passed. It is one year since Anna's daughter Kathy's death from cancer, and the family is reuniting, readjusting their lives and their roles within the family dynamic.
Like her mother, Kathy was an actress. Ironically, her own daughter, Susie (Sarah Steele, also seen as Alan Cummings' daughter in “The Good Wife” on TV), is a sharp Yale student who lets everyone know she does not share her family's theatricality. She tells her grandmother, “I hate actors.” Anna answers, “You do not hate actors. Your whole family is actors.” “Exactly,” says Susie.
Kathy's widowed husband, Walter (David Rasche of TV’s “Sledge Hammer”), is a Hollywood director of low-denominator action movies. Much to Susie's disapproval, he brings with him a lovely new romance, Nell, played by Kate Jennings Grant (The Lyons). Also present is Anna's son, Elliott (Eric Lange, TV’s “Lost” and “Weeds”), a hangdog failing actor who feels rejected by his mother. Having turned to writing, he is currently working on a play about a man who kills his mother, burns down the family home, and kills himself.
When Anna announces that a family acquaintance, hunky TV star Michael, played by Daniel Sunjata (TV’s “Graceland”), will be joining them, all attempts at family togetherness begin to crack, shattering the tempestuous family members with clashing, bickering and the spark of sexual chemistry.
The first problem for them is that all three generations of women are drawn to Michael. (No good can come from that.) Furthermore, when Elliott meets Warren's paramour, Nell, he is surprised to remember that they performed together in stock years ago, and he has been in love with her ever since. Unfortunately, it is not reciprocated.
Act One is more up-tempo and entertaining, with the feel of set-up witty retorts, often referring to movies lines (“All About Eve,” “Casablanca”), and inside stage insights. Act Two, starting with the reading of Elliott's play, grows more thoughtful, a doleful buildup of pent-up emotions finally exploding after an awkward nighttime meeting, a physical brawl, and Elliott's harrowing collapse. Some guests head home, but all ends well as Anna, Susie and Elliott, settle down to look through a family photo album, finally acknowledging the reason for this reunion, the deceased Kathy.
Director Daniel Sullivan seamlessly moves interactions and keeps the quips snappy, balancing the poignant moments. Obvious Chekhovian subtexts hover through the work but never settle into the Russian master's depth. Admirable is Danner's on-target grandeur, never overblown. Steele shows grounded sensibility as Susie, and Lange's portrayal of Elliott's maddening self-pity manages to still lend him humanity.
John Lee Beatty's country house set is embellished with Peter Kaczorowski's lighting with Jon Gottlieb's sound design, put to good use during a thunderstorm. Indefinable music by Peter Golub fills in at the scene changes. Rita Ryack designed fashionable country casual costumes for Danner, torn jeans for Steele, and the L.A. workout look for a very fit Grant.
Two choices. You can check your Chekhov at the door of this country house and enjoy a couple of hours of another family's dysfunction. Or you can brush up your Chekhov and start matching Margulies's family with counterparts in The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and The Seagull.
