If you ask me…
– Tom Holehan
“The Baroness,” a World Premiere in West Hartford
It’s a delicious premise. Whatever happened to Baroness Schraeder, the much-maligned girlfriend of Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” who was rebuffed by the Captain and shown the door? Poor Baroness! Upstaged by a singing nun who charmed the grumpy Captain quicker than you could say Do-Re-Mi. Connecticut playwright Jacques Lamarre uses this intriguing idea as a jumping off point for his rather uneven but sporadically funny comedy. “The Baroness”, currently enjoying its world premiere at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford.
As the play opens, our Baroness (Sarah Street) is in deep distress having just gotten the news that her services were no longer desired at the Von Trapp estate. In a fury, she blasts her habit-wearing rival in a phone call to gay bestie Max Detweiler, the producer anxious to get the Von Trapp kids in concert. Storming around the glamorous bedroom (the nifty scenic design is by Kim Zhou), Street chews the scenery with relish and it would all be funnier if she wasn’t so wrapped up in her accent that it is often difficult to hear much of Lamarre’s verbal gold.
Suddenly onto the scene arrives Rolf (Nick Apostolina), the Nazi messenger boy who has mistakenly confused the Baroness’ bedroom for that of his 16-going-on-17 love, Liesl. This unlikely duo, after sharing secrets and joining forces against the Von Trapps, barricade the bedroom door and decide to stay. Rolf is spouting the gospel according to Adolf throughout most of his visit and this section of the play really conflicts with the comedy’s farcical plot. When Rolf appears in the second act sporting a swastika on his upper arm the couple have a long and rather serious discussion (without giving spoilers) about what is means to be a Jew in Austria. This tonal shift is abrupt and confusing in a work advertised as a comedy.
Both Street and Apostolina are fine without seeming to go the extra mile here. They deliver Lamarre’s lines adequately, but perhaps the tonal shifts in the play don’t give them free reign to go all the way. The clever Lamarre, whose amusing plays “I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti”, “Raging Skillet” and “Secondo” all had their premieres at TheaterWorks Hartford, knows his way around a funny line or two. He’s also responsible for arguable the best one-act in TheaterWorks’ annual holiday show, “Christmas on the Rocks”. That’s why it’s rather surprising that most of the big laughs in “The Baroness” involve repeating song titles from “The Sound of Music”. “The Baroness” also has a Meta vibe throughout as the characters name check Rodgers and Hammerstein and discuss their roles and songs that were cut as well as upcoming plot developments. This often comes off more strange and distracting than funny.
As noted, the set more than satisfies and is elegantly lit by Johann Fitzpatrick. I also felt costumer Jimmy Johansmeyer provided an absolutely smashing act one dress in brilliant red for Street that is almost a character in itself. He doesn’t disappoint with her bedroom ensemble later in the play, either. In all, there’s definitely fun to be had in this world premiere, but a serious reworking of the script here and there could only help.
“The Baroness” continues at Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road in West Hartford, Connecticut through June 22. For further information and ticket reservations call the theatre box office at 860.523.5900 X 10 or visit: www.playhouseonpark.org.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
