For the first time post-pandemic, Milwaukee’s Boulevard Theater returns to its former “home” on the Upper East Side to present a spring production of Cécile, or the School for Fathers . The relatively brief run of this charming show didn’t give the local theater community much time to turn out and support Boulevard Theater, which is entering its 38th season. And yet, audiences made the commitment to support this pillar of the theater community, which has been known for years as a place where theater pros and young actors mix their talents. Many well-known Milwaukee theater artists can claim they “got their start” in a Boulevard production.
Almost all of the four performances were sold out, a fact that undoubtedly warmed the heart of artistic director Mark Bucher, director David Flores and his cast of seven actors. (Okay, one cast member was actually Music Director Donna Kummer, who played piano for some of the tunes inserted into the show.) Director David Flores also got into the act as that “narrator.” He announced stage directions in this hybrid show of staged reading and actual performance.
Was there a set? No. Were their costumes? Yes. Were their props? A few. Did actors read from scripts? Well, sort of. Artistic Director Mark Bucher dubs such shows as “concert presentations.”
The five key players in this comedy of manners were very well-rehearsed and each stood out in their own fashion. Like links in a diamond bracelet, each actor had a chance to sparkle during the performance’s 80 minutes (no intermission).
Jean Anouilh’s comedy is set in Paris, a fact reflected in the cast’s costumes, behavior and social status. A rich widower, Monsieur Orlas (Matt Specht) is carefully watching the development of his 17-year-old daughter, Cécile (Sarah Donofrido). She is a beauty and it is not surprising that she attracts the attention of a young suitor, Chevalier (AJ Magoon). Not surprisingly, the 40-year-old Orlas wishes his daughter to marry a man with far higher status (no matter that the groom might be twice her age). Boulevard’s intimate staging allows the actors to “dial down” their talents to a point that’s almost cinematic. Under Flores’s direction, an actor’s raised eyebrow, a sly smile or dismissive flick of the wrist is all that’s required to get the point across.
However, a late-to-the-party appearance by the chaperone’s father (Michael Pocaro) is overplayed to the point of puncturing the intimacy that the rest of the cast has created. Yes, some of the histrionics are related to his character, but Pocaro takes it too far. He is simply playing in a register of a different key.
Speaking of which, the play is enhanced by several well-known French tunes that are inserted throughout. Francophiles will enjoy hearing “La Vie en Rose,” “C’est Si Bon” and Cole Porter’s “C’est Magnifique.” The actors’ voices are up to the task, as Donna Kummer accompanies them on piano.
One noteworthy thing about Boulevard Theater is that their recent “concert presentations” are pay-what-you-will. Yes, this means that the shows (enhanced staged readings, actually) exist on a threadbare budget. Seating is general admission only. Theater seats consist of a collection of assembled chairs, arranged into rows. Attire is strictly casual. But the practice is definitely welcoming to all members of a community.
Onstage, the actors don’t have the somewhat necessary props or costume changes that normally help an audience suspend disbelief to “enter” the world of the theater. But, judging from the frequent chuckles and laughter heard in the audience, it’s clear that Cécile casts a magic all its own. And, true to the Boulevard’s legacy, the show whips a delightful concoction from a cast of familiar faces in Milwaukee’s theater scene and, in the case of Sarah Donofrio as Cécile, a very new one.
As a slightly-older tutor and chaperone for Cécile, actor Caitlin Kujawski Compton is adept at deflecting the romantic intentions of her employer as well as the attentions of Cécile’s love interest. In dialogue á là Moliere, Kujawski Compton manages to keep Orlas at bay with her witty retorts. She keeps her defenses intact until the final scene, in which the lovers unite and all ends well.
