Age of Arousal Gets To Second Base

Only able to get to second base with Unger are Susan Hogan, Jennifer Mawhinney and Laara Sadiq. Photo: Emily Cooper.

Linda Griffiths' *Age of Arousal* took me out for a fine night of theatre in this "Arts Club Theatre":http://artsclub.com/ offering. While there was a lot to like about this production, there was still some lingering doubt that left me hesitant to go all the way with her.

First impressions were beautifully odd. The set designed by Pam Johnson was quite striking. A giant typewriter keyboard flows upwards, creating different levels for the actors to play on. At first I thought that this could be a little over the top, but it was a delight to watch in action. During the show, various keys rise up to become benches or tables for the actors to sit on depending on the scene. A scrim also rises and falls for the projection of scene title cards that were then typed out. Griffiths play is broken down into several episodes, so the use of the title cards were key to the telling of the story. The typewriter is a key symbol in this play, being used as a metaphor for women's empowerment.

While we're talking about appearances, she was also looking very nice as well. Jenifer Darbellay's costumes brought us back to a time of corsets, stockings, and satin dresses. Costume designers must love this kind of work and so do audiences. By venturing into a bit of revisionist theatre, Griffiths allows us to watch actors in lavish costumes while providing contemporary English dialogue so that we can actually get most of the jokes and references. That's the first major appeal of *Age of Arousal*. The second is the ideas that Griffiths' presents about feminism.

The play takes place in 1885 London where there is a population imbalance of women over men. We follow Mary Barfoot (Susan Hogan), a former suffragette in her sixties who now runs a secretarial school with her lover/protégé Rhoda Nunn (Laara Sadiq). (So that's why they played Bowie's "Suffragette City":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tBAY0LOPBw before the show!). They recruit a trio of sisters into their school: Virginia (Kerry Davidson), the alcoholic Alice (Gwynyth Walsh), a spinster hopelessly stuck with Virginia, and the younger, pretty Monica (Jennifer Mawhinney). All of the characters undergo their own journey through empowerment including Virginia kicking booze for cross-dressing, while Monica empowers herself by taking on many lovers and not marrying. Enter the dashing Everard Barfoot (Martin Happer) who throws a monkey wrench into the ladies movement. Being a man who strives for the same ideals, he has the audacity to "approve" of the movement and actually encourages the women. Of course he beds Monica but then falls in love with Rhoda. The plot takes on the form of a classic romantic comedy, but the ideas set it apart from any kind of fluff. The play doesn't really have an historical reality so Griffiths is free to infuse her own feminist views into the time frame. It works for the most part, especially for jokes like when Rhoda proclaims that women will soon have equal rights and it will only take 30 years.

Where the play struggles is director Katrina Dunn trying to keep things interesting with no external conflict or main antagonist present. All the characters are essentially likable even the cartoonish Madsen sisters. The conflict comes from the outside society which we never directly see and which isn't really represented by any character. Instead we are presented with internal conflicts, especially with Rhoda as she struggles with her ideals. The characters reveal their hidden thoughts through asides but without external conflict for the actors to play, the scenes just come off as mildly funny. I also found Dunn's choice to have to characters type speedily on the typewriter annoying. There is a musical quality to a typewriter when you type real words and not just hit random keys. The deal breaker was the last scene before intermission where all the female characters decide that they're going to faint. It was a muddled, over the top scene that really left a sour taste in my mouth. I thought it might have just been me that was confused, but there were even groans from the sweet smelling ladies in my row.

Kudos to Arts Club for giving us theatre that at least feels fresh. On a big stage, if it's not a musical, you really need to make sure that there is something to grab our attention. The beautiful set and costumes in *Age of Arousal* do the job and make a lasting impression. Hey getting to second base isn't bad. I had a good time, and I’ll definitely consider a second date, but I’ll not commit to anything. By the way if you’re confused as to how the “Base” system works "here":http://xkcd.com/540/

_Age of Arousal By Linda Griffiths, produced by The Arts Club Theatre Company in association with Touchstone Theatre; Starring Kerry Davidson, Martin Happer, Susan Hogan, Jennifer Mawhinney, Laara Sadiq, Gwynyth Walsh; Director Katrina Dunn; Set Designer Pam Johnson; Costume Designer Jenifer Darbellay; Lighting Designer John Webber; Sound Designer/Composer Chris Hind; Projection Designer Corwin Ferguson; Stage Manager Angela Beaulieu; Assistant Stage Manager Rachel Bland. For more information why not arouse yourself_ "here":http://www.artsclub.com/plays/20082009/onstage/age-of-arousal.htm

By Michael John Unger