The Fourth Wall

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Biting humor gets attention the likes nothing else can. Playwright, A.R. Gurney knows biting humor. After 9/11 when many hid in their houses, wrung their hands and lamented fear, Gurney went to work teasing the humor to bite while he bit back.

Scott McLean as Professor Floyd Lesser and Edith Weiss as Peggy in A.R. Gurney’s The Fourth Wall at the Nomad Theatre.

The result: The Fourth Wall currently in production at Boulder’s Nomad Theatre playing through November 6, 2004.

Under the direction of Billie McBride, who knows how to turn actors loose in a creative direction, the combination of Gurney’s script with an over-the-top cast, The Fourth Wall stands out as one of the funniest shows I have seen in a long time. I actually laughed out loud, several times. Certainly not funny for the sake of being funny, but a provocative funny that allows the mind to think while the face is laughing, which just happens to be the very best kind.

Peggy, delectably played by Edith Weiss, overwhelmed by the U.S. involvement in the Iraq war goes into overdrive. On inspired impulse she redecorates her living room. Gifted with exquisite taste, she faces the furniture to one wall, which she leaves blank.

Perplexed and confused, her husband Roger reaches out in desperation to Peggy’s best friend, Julia. Paul A. Dunne wears Roger’s confusion with style while Rhonda Lee Brown struts Julia’s wares with giggled sexuality. After all, if Peggy has lost it, why not fish for the biggest shark?

Something magical has transpired in this strangely decorated room. The fourth wall becomes the apron of a stage. Everyone who enters over compensates blown-up actions as though on a Broadway stage under bright lights.

Undaunted, Peggy innocently clings to her belief there are people on the other side of that wall, people who need reaching. If only she could find a way to break through. If she could discover the way to break through, she could discover the way to get involved in multi-racial, interdenominational religious communities. Cultural walls keep people apart. If she can break through her living room wall she knows she can connect.

What a concept for our culture.

Weiss’ dumbfounded expressions dance in juxtaposition to the panicked Roger and self absorbed Julia.

Enter Professor Lesser, Floyd Lesser, assistant drama instructor at the local community college. If Peggy wants a theatre, they need to find her plot. Scott McLean grabs Floyd by the throat, thrusting him to the limelight of center stage. He’s delicious.

One other part of the room becomes a character with life of its own, the Cole Porter-programmed player piano. In the rush of mass confusion, the characters dive head first into Cole Porter songs. In the midst of apparent serious discussion, Peggy insists Floyd finish the dance first.

Fast-paced, a roller coaster ride connected to a Ferris wheel, sharp incredulous lines bounce off Peggy’s vision with warp speed.

Weiss’ favorite line, “…we have a human obligation to stop embellishing our own lives long enough to help unfortunate people elsewhere live any life at all.” isn’t funny. It flies from Peggy’s mouth as a stake to the heart, which after all is the point.

A political comedy, knee-slapping funny breaks through the psyche giving the mind freedom to breathe, play, to do what it does best: think.

In spite of it all, Peggy finds a solution, a very simple one to the amazement of everyone involved, including the audience. Miss this extraordinary production, and you’ll miss a strategic non-stop giggle, valuable insight, political hope, and a brilliant ride that makes a roller coaster feel like bumper cars.