Theatre Review

Ruhl’s whimsical ‘Melancholy Play’ premieres at Trinity

Don Fowler
Posted 6/12/15

I don’t know if playwright Sarah Ruhl is trying to be profound or if she’s just putting me on.

Ruhl has turned her “Melancholy Play” into “Melancholy Play: a chamber musical,” thanks …

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Theatre Review

Ruhl’s whimsical ‘Melancholy Play’ premieres at Trinity

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I don’t know if playwright Sarah Ruhl is trying to be profound or if she’s just putting me on.

Ruhl has turned her “Melancholy Play” into “Melancholy Play: a chamber musical,” thanks to some clever songs by Todd Almond.

Is she playing with our minds, asking us to believe that her central character can quickly change from melancholy to utterly happy and content, while her hairdresser reacts by changing into an almond?

Is she being metaphoric? Does an almond stand for “nuts?”

I’m not always sure what is going on in the strange, creative mind of Sarah Ruhl. I know she has challenged me in “The Clean House” and “Dead Man’s Telephone,” both given brilliant performances at Trinity. She has also entertained me in her play, “Orlando,” done recently at Epic Theatre.

I do know that I was mesmerized by the play and the terrific performances by the five actors, especially Rachael Warren as Tilly, the bank teller who has a strange hold on everyone she meets.

Frank, her tailor (Charlie Thurston), falls in love with her, captivated by her melancholy, as does her Italian psychiatrist (Joe Wilson Jr.)

And then there’s her hairdresser (Rebecca Gibel), who has a girl crush on her. When she introduces Tilly to her partner (Mia Ellis), they both fight for her attention.

The lengthy one-act play takes a sharp turn when Tilly loses her melancholy and demonstrates uncontrollable happiness. Her admirers don’t know how to deal with it. The hairdresser turns into an almond. That’s right: an almond. Not Todd Almond, the composer. A real almond, held fondly on a pillow by her partner.

The play leaves us with much to ponder, or to scratch our heads and utter “Huh?”

Is it simply that they – or we – are all nuts?

Is melancholy (sad, depressed, despondent or whatever) really the flip side of happiness?

I don’t know. What I do know is that the Trinity troupe and director Liesl Tommy have taken this quirky chamber musical and had fun with it. Whatever you take from it, you are certain to have some fun also.

Clint Ramos’ set reminded me of a hotel ballroom after a big party. Decorations are drooping on the wall. The piano is stage right, accompanied by four stringed instruments who accompany the songs without being intrusive.

The songs are clever, and the voices are good, especially Warren’s.

You can read all kinds of profundities into Ruhl’s dialogue, or you can just jump aboard and go for a fun ride.

“Melancholy Play: a chamber musical” is at Trinity Rep through June 28. Tickets are $30-$71. Call 351-4242 for reservations.

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