It’s difficult not to like the actors in Douglas Carter
Bean’s “Mr. and Mrs. Fitch. Sandy Campbell’s overall versatility, acting and
singing has been established for many moons.
She took home a Craig Noel Award for her portrayal of Maria
Callas in “Master Class” at the now defunct Ion Theatre and was absolutely the
tragic figure as Lucille Frank, wife of Leo Frank in Cygnets excellently
mounted, “Parade”. Playing these characters as well as Mr. Fitch is the height
of this talented woman’s being.
Andrew Oswald recently closed in “The Hour of Great Mercy” to
standout critical acclaim at Diversionary. His credits also include Harry in
“Company” and Charlie in “The Whale” at Cygnet. He has been seen at Backyard
Renaissance in “The Elephant Man”. He, too, is a man on the go around the San
Diego scene.
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| Andrew Oswald and Sandy Campbell as Mr. and Mrs. Fitch |
Neither is a slacker, both are attractive and play well off
one another in Backyard Renaissance production of “Mr. and Mrs. Fitch” directed
by Francis Gercke with an eye for perfection and fun, now playing at the Moxie
Theatre in Rolando through April 14th.
Looking and acting much like Dashiell Hammett’s Nick and Nora
Charles, the sophisticated- martini -loving husband and wife sleuths of the
“Thin Man” film, radio and T.V. fame, The Fitch’s of gossip column fame swoon
over each other’s so called cleverness. She: “Theatre?” He: “Yes, you know
theatre…that thing that movie people do when they want to announce they’re
available for television.”
Funnier than the play itself though, the two appear to be actually
having a fun time with each other and the material as they shoot zingers at each
other faster that the speed of light; some work, others fall flat. So amused at themselves they almost lose their social
standing as gossip moguls by not recognizing that what goes up has to come down, or when ideas are not as clever as they used to be, or the well is dry.
Their necks werein a proverbial noose after they made a
major mistake in their column claiming the appearance of one called ‘Tall and
Frosted’ whom they reported was in attendance at their latest social gathering,
was in fact dead. It didn’t help either that their last final paragraph came up
empty. Something had to change, and fast.
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| Sandy Campbell |
Being the clever New York Martini drinking twosome they show up to be, they invent a fictitious celebrity, Jamie Glenn in order to get back
into the game. When their readership buys it, and they do, they are so
pleased with themselves and their cleverness they fall all over themselves downing it, then again, with another Martini.
So much was their good fortune, they were invited to an important dinner party, that gave Ms. John
another reason to show off yet another gorgeous gown and Oswald, playing the closeted gay, to look very
handsome in his tux.
Sooner or later the couple would fall victim to the Internet,
instagram, twitter and blogs. They will have their their ideas usurped, but no worries. Some
people are just survivors, and oft time amid the nonsense and constant use of blogs, twitter and computer talk, some truths peek
through as when they refer to fake news, something of which we are all aware.
To those looking in with 2019 eyes (the play premiered in 2010) off Broadway) it
might a bit of a turn off when too much cleverness is too much and when they
drop names like Yeats, Sontag, Shakespeare or Hemmingway to prove a point or “When
life gave me lemons, I made citron pressé”. Seriously? What the hell is that?
But never mind.
Joel Britt’s lighting design along with Tony Cucuzzella’s
detailed and awesome set design, and mentioned once but deserves another look,
John’s outfits are more interesting than Mrs. Fitch herself.
Sound is credited to TJ Fucella but when Oswald sits at the
piano and Campbell sings along Cole Porter’s “Mr. and Missus Fitch” from his
1932 play “The Gay Divorce”, later made into the film “The Gay Divorcé”
starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers all is good with the world.
Fortunately, unlike the couple in Bean’s play The Fitches played with confidence and clarity by Campbell and Oswald worked their
combined talents and grit into to making the celebrity couple look like they were
the crème de crème of high society gossip. I call that top notch acting.
Douglas Carter Bean is no stranger to San Diego
audiences. Three of his popular works
were produced in local theatres: “The Little Dog Laughed”, “As Bees in Honey
Drown” and “Xanadu”.
So continue on Mr. Bean and lets have some fun with ‘The Fitch’s’.
See you at the
theatre.
Dates: Through April 14th
Organization: Backyard Renaissance Co.
Phone: 619-977-0999
Production Type: Comedy
Where: 66630El Cajon Blvd San Diego, CA 92115
Ticket Prices: Start at $18.00
Web: backyardrenaissance.com
Venue: Moxie Theatre
Photo: Daren Scott
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