Indescretions

Critiqued by Holly Bartges

A French play written in 1938 just before WWII jolts nearly everyone into a new reality. Jean Cocteau takes a hilarious swipe at the self-absorbed bourgeois society values. Always astonishing how prophetic great playwrights really are.

Translated Les Parents Terribles, Indiscretions zeroes in on a family that could be snatched from the news media of a portrait of a contemporary family. Family abuse seems to be on the rise. Although far from being funny, the humor with Indiscretions, speaks loudly to the issue. Cocteau could easily have been written yesterday. Cocteau's critics insisted this was a realistic play, but the playwright claimed, "He never knew any parents quite as terrible as these parents." Alive today, he might live next door to one or two.

Leroy Leonard and Kirsten Deane in Germinal Stage Denver's production of Indescretions

It has been said so many times before it has almost become a mantra. Ed Baierlein is a Master and for theatre lovers and theatre hopefuls, the quality of Germinal Stage Denver's productions are overwhelmingly wondrous. Yes, the Metro arena sports many outstanding theatres, but something about the magic of Baierlein's ability to climb inside a script and make it his own while maintaining the integrity of the playwright, takes the breath away.

Featuring a dynamic artistic cast, Indiscretions churns with humor and cringed moments.

No one in the Universe plays crazed women living in a concocted world of their own like Eric Sarzin-Borrillo. She's a marvel all to her own. Playing Yvonne, who coddles, with detrimental loving emotional ties, her son Michael. She wants to keep him a small boy. She wants to keep her for her own. How dare he have a life of his own? How dare he fall in love with a girl? Played by Royce Wood, he portrays Michael with deep emotional conflicts. About 22 years old, Michael hovers around being 11 or 12, Yes, he loves his mother, but he's growing up and he falls in love with a beautiful young lady, Madeline, a bookbinder, delightfully played by Kristen Deane. Sophisticated in one sense she's also an open-mouthed gum-snapping addict. At one point when Leo takes the gum from her, Madeline immediately pops in another piece.

Leroy Leonard plays George, Yvonne's husband and Michael's father. Baffled over what to do with Yvonne, he tolerates, her weird, over dramatic behavior adopting his own style of survival into buffoonery.

Erica Sarzin-Borrillo in Germinal Stage Denver's production of Indescretions

The only one who seems to have her wits about her, understanding the family, attempting to maintain a sense of normalcy, is Leo strongly played by Chip Winn Wells. Leo's motives are slightly offbeat. Once engaged to George, she lost him when he fell in love with her sister, Yvonne. She stays with the family because in spite of it all, she continues to love George, and happily plays parent to everyone. Perhaps her hopes are high that one-day he will return to her.

Living in squalor, the family lives off a fixed income supplied by a dead uncle to Leo because she's the only organized member of the family "in a group of raggle-taggle gypsies" The main part of the set shows a disheveled bedroom with clothes strewn all over. Bourgeois as they may be, their lives point directly toward the shadows of Bohemia. Yvonne spends most of her time huddled on the bed. When anyone accidently turns on the light, Yvonne turns n the hysteria. She likes it dim and dark.

When Michael informs his parents he's in love with Madeline and plans to marry her, both, for different reasons, nearly have a stroke. Yvonne because she cannot tolerate losing Michael to a girl, flying into an uncontrollable rage, and George, because he realizes she is a girl he keeps with money borrowed from Leo for his own pleasure. Leo cheers on the relationship with satisfaction.

Whatever the cost, Michael must be kept away from Madeline. Michael is aware that Madeline has been having an affair with an older man. He also enjoys the money Madeline gives him without knowing where it comes from. She promises to cut off the relationship which sends George into his own lop-sided "tither".

Erica Sarzin-Borrillo, Leroy Leonard and Chip Winn Wells in Germinal Stage Denver's production of Indescretions

Eager for his parents to meet Madeline, Michael lives in his own world of innocence. Wood does a grand job of portraying the innocent behavior without turning him into a clown. Madeline thrilled that George and Yvonne accepts her, eagerly looks forward to the meeting unaware of the shock wave that will send her and George reeling.

The three-act play maintains a high level of pacing and is over before one is ready to leave the scene. The characters are so beautifully defined, and the interaction and barbs fly between them with humored ease, each with their own agenda seeking comfort in their unique Bohemian life style. Comfort doesn’t exactly define their lives, but comfort they seek. These are people who would fit nicely into Jerry Springer's Opera, or could be expected to appear on the Dr. Phil show while he asks, "How's it working for you?"

Humorously written, Indiscretions casts an eerie sense to fitting snugly into our society. As is all of the plays produced at GSD, Indiscretions works well in the small intimate theatre. As no one is the audience is more than 30 feet away from the action, every nuance, every curl of the eyebrows can be seen and felt, especially Sarzin-Borrillo's, although Leonard, Winn Wells, Wood, and Deane plow though their own moments of sly reactions, confusion and discomfort. It's delightful to see every twitch of the upper lip and rolling eyes.

Yvonne, determined to have the last word, takes an unexpected sharp curve, but at last, Leo can turn on the lights.

Kirsten Deane and Royce Wood in Germinal Stage Denver's production of Indescretions

Stephen R. Kramer designed the lighting system that underscores the rambunctious family. Sallie Diamond designed the costumes with her eye trained to fitting the character as we as the artist. An unsung hero of most productions, the Production Manager's job is handled by Tad Baierlein. Unsung hero because all productions would fall flat without that necessary organizational talent.

Thoroughly enjoyable, Indiscretions is one of those plays that won't soon be forgotten. The 1995 Broadway run garnered nine Tony nominations. The play opens in chaos when Yvonne goes into a diabetic reaction. George insists she took an overdose of insulin, but both George and Leo agree it is an overreaction to Michael not coming home the night before. And the stinging fun begins.

Time is short, but Indiscretions deserves to be on the Do-Not-Miss list. Besides the Fun of a chaotic tortured family, its cryptic thoughtfulness adds serious musing to our society. Plus the incredible acting from a distinguished cast speaks to a comprehensive unity of trust that such a cast absolutely needs to own. The five are a unit, connected to each other with a high-spirited energy that tumbles throughout the theatre.

Indescretions
By: Jean Cocteau; Translated by Jeremy Sams; Directed by Ed Baierlein