Revivals and adaptations are proving startlingly relevant on and Off-Broadway. Some might consider Paul Osborn’s tender 1939 Morning’s at Seven totally dated and irrelevant for this moment of social upheaval and re-examination. The warmhearted comedy about four elderly sisters was rescued from obscurity by a smash-hit 1980 Broadway revival starring such beloved actresses as Teresa Wright, Elizabeth Wilson, Nancy Marchand, and Maureen O’Sullivan. A 2002 production also proved popular and featured Estelle Parsons, Frances Sternhagen, Piper Laurie, and Elizabeth Franz. Now in a charming, intimate staging Off-Broadway, directed with a light and loving touch by Dan Wackerman, another generation gives sweet life to this quartet and their menfolk.
Set in 1922 and concerned with the seemingly mundane living arrangements of the quartet of siblings, their spouses, a bachelor nephew and his long-time fiancee, Morning’s is a gentle and insightful look at long-buried secrets, new beginnings, questioning life choices and all the hurts and joys families can give each other. That makes it as relevant as any more obviously political or socially conscious work.
Patty McCormack brings a sage serenity to Esther, the eldest and wisest of the sisters with Tony Roberts pompously hilarious as her intellectual husband. Lindsey Crouse and Alley Mills provide chuckles and pathos as Cora and Arry, who share a house and a suppressed rivalry over Cora’s spouse Thor, played with subtle warmth by Dan Lauria.
Alma Cuervo feelingly illuminates the conflicted emotions of Ida who wants to see her 40-ish son Homer married, but also can’t picture him leaving home. John Rubinstein perfectly captures the angst of Ida’s husband Carl who is going through a late-life crisis of identity. Jonathan Spivey’s Homer is touchingly shy as is Keri Safran as his long-suffering girlfriend, Myrtle.
Harry Feiner’s beautifully detailed set of the backyard of two neighboring houses is the perfect environment for this slice of Americana which remains a vital piece of theater and an accurate portrait of a portion of our country.
