Theater Review—

New Company’s Presentation Of ‘Boston Marriage’ Was A Scream

By Julie Stern

On a snowy night, so many people flocked to Sandy Hook’s Mocha Coffeehouse to see the Screaming Pancake performance of David Mamet’s Boston Marriage that the beanery’s owners were forced to borrow extra chairs from a funeral home to accommodate them all. As it happens, this highly polished production was worthy of a far larger venue, but at the same time, seeing it up close in the intimacy of the little bistro was remarkably satisfying.

Famous for works like American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross, Mamet has driven audiences nuts with  plays about people who are either too devious to say what they mean, or too inarticulate to be able to express themselves. Boston Marriage, written in 1999, is different both in that all three characters are  women, and also that the dialogue sparkles with clashes of rapier wit, contained in complex sentences (with occasional post-modern forays into four-letter word territory). It is as if the master of the mean, monosyllabic mumble suddenly discovered Bernard Shaw.

The term “Boston marriage” has its origins in the Henry James novel The Bostonians. It is traditionally used to describe a situation in which two women live together in an intense, emotionally committed relationship that may have a sexual component or may be purely platonic friendship. In the Victorian era, it was a way of life chosen by women who were independent, educated, feminists who saw it as a preferable alternative to submitting to domination by men.

Structured like an 18th Century Restoration comedy, Mamet’s play is definitely brimming with sexual intrigue and innuendo. It opens with the reunion between Anna, the older and more dominating partner, and her protégé, Claire, who has been traveling.

Sporting an immense emerald necklace, Anna coyly announces that she has become the mistress of an immensely rich fool, who has not only given her the jewel, but has paid all her debts and promised her a comfortable allowance, which will enable her (and Claire) to live in comfort. But since this paramour is only a man, there is nothing to be jealous about.

Claire then reveals that she herself has “fallen in love” with an innocent young girl, whom she wishes to bring to Anna’s house in order to consummate her passion. This leads to a romp of plot complications, which are enhanced by the presence of Catherine, the concrete-minded Scottish maid.

Catherine, whose name and nationality the self-absorbed Anna can never keep straight, serves as the comic foil, and indeed she has so many plum opportunities that in many productions of this play she has totally stolen the show.

Here Jane Coughlin is definitely hilarious in the part, but she is equally matched by Kelly Boucher as Anna, whose sardonic smile and imperious toss of the head bring to mind a young Bette Midler, and by Jenny Schuck as the bold and forthright Claire.

Above all, natural talent of the three players, guided by Michael Bolinski’s sure-handed direction, is backed by the amount of work that has obviously gone into learning their lines and mastering their timing. The result is a total joy to behold, especially when you see it being performed in an area the size of a modest living room, and you, the audience, are right there.

(The only downside was that every time a character exited “offstage” it meant she had to huddle outside in the snowstorm until it was time for re-entry.)

Screaming Pancake Theatre will be back at Thomaston Opera House, where they debuted this production in January. Performances are scheduled for 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, February 9-10, and like the Sandy Hook show admission is free but reservations are required. Visit ScreamingPancake.org for details.