by Allen Crossett

From my gifted cast I discovered some fascinating things about the play during the rehearsal process. We staged our production in the sanctuary of an historic church in Peapack-Gladstone, and one of the values of the play that I was especially interested in developing was Wilder’s use of music. Some productions omit the music; we made the music a very important part of our interpretation.

The hymn “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” ties the whole play together, and that’s pretty apparent, as is the choir singing “Love Divine, All Love Excelling” at the wedding. But there are two other pieces of music that aren’t so obvious. In Act I, while Dr. Gibbs is gently scolding his son George for not doing his chores, Simon Stimson is rehearsing the hymn “Art Thou Weary, Art Thou Languid.” The juxtaposition is, I think, a touch of Wilder humor. I’m not sure many in the audience will put the two together and see the joke, but I’ve always encouraged my actors to “play to the one percent” with the hope that someone will figure out what we’re up to.

During the wedding scene of Act II, Wilder indicates in his script that the organ should play Handel’s “Largo” as a prelude. It’s a familiar melody, and the Stage Manager even mentions this selection in the middle of the first act. During a rehearsal, my music director asked me, since we already had a choir on stage for this scene, if I wanted to use a choral version of the piece. My response was to give it a try, and what we discovered was while Mrs. Webb was delivering her poignant speech about sending a daughter into marriage without any real preparation, the choir was gently singing in the background, “Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord.” I am sure Wilder knew the words, and my guess is that he didn’t include them in his text because of copyright restrictions. And did our audiences see this connection? Yes, many did. The moment was very powerful.

For our curtain calls, the organist played Copland’s “Simple Gifts” from Appalachian Spring. We followed the dynamics on the Bernstein recording, with the music reaching its dramatic peak as George, Emily and then the Stage Manager entered for their bows. It was an excellent choice.

Peapack-Gladstone — With a dastardly villain worthy of the most spirited hisses and boos and a hero and heroine who will win the hearts of the audience as well as each other, the Peapack Players return to Peapack Reformed Church this month, this time with Caught in the Villain’s Web. The comedy, to be staged in the church’s Fellowship Hall, is a spoof of an old-fashioned melodrama.

In addition to a traditional story of good triumphing over evil, the production will also feature a generous selection of musical numbers featuring favorite songs of the Gay 90’s. Co-directing are Allen Crossett of Gladstone and Hugh Wallace of Whippany, with Henry Repp of Rockaway as musical director and Anne Hampson of Hackettstown as vocal director. The producer is Linda Jean Lipkin of Bernardsville, and the stage manager is Gail Solomon of Bedminster.

Opening night, on Friday, October 18, will again be a benefit for the Peapack-Gladstone Public Library. Tickets for the benefit are $25 each and may be purchased at the library or at the door.

Additional performances will be given on Saturday, October 19, and the following week, Thursday through Saturday, October 24 to October 26, with tickets at $15 each. Curtain each evening is 8 p.m., and because seating is limited, those planning to attend are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance.

Featured in the cast will be Debbie Glicklich-Fliegauf of Phillipsburg as Felicity Fair, the persecuted heroine who is more sinned against than sinning. Tom Laureys of Netcong will portray the manly-bosomed hero Malvern Larkfield, who raises stinkweeds, and Dave Villepique of Chester will play the part of Cyril Bothingwell, who is steeped in villainy and who will stop at nothing to gain his foul ends.

Beth Gleason of Chester will portray Regina, the hero’s hard-hearted mother, with Shannon Ludlum of Basking Ridge as Lona, the hero’s little sister who has a heart of gold.

Patricia Idell of Martinsville will play the part of the scheming Nella, who has fallen in love with the hero’s wealth, with Catherine Schrein of Basking Ridge as her mother Geraldine. Frank Higbie of Bound Brook will be seen as the family physician, with Chris Winans of Convent Station as the butler with a past, and Ashley Lund-Pearson as the French maid.

Peapack Reformed Church is located on Main Street across from the Gladstone railroad station. Additional information is available by calling the Peapack Players hotline at 908/234-2979.

Melodrama has never gotten much respect and yet, with the movies and television, it is more popular today that it was a hundred years ago when it dominated the legitimate stage. Arthur Hobson Quinn, who 50 years ago wrote the definitive History of the American Drama, noted that American melodrama of the 19th century often had “impossible actions,” “absurd characters,” and a dialogue that bordered on the ludicrous. Caught in the Villain’s Web, the play we are presenting this evening, is a spoof of that tradition and it manages quite nicely to meet all three parts of Quinn’s definition. We found the dialogue especially interesting because it is littered with one shameless cliché after another.

With its traditional mixture of storytelling and music, the origin of melodrama can be traced back to the Greek plays. The word came into the language, however, in France in the 1760’s as melodrame, and the French melodrames, noted Quinn, were sensational plays, “abounding in terrifying incidents, artificially motivated characters, overstated pathos, or tensions arbitrarily provoked by chance.” By the end of the 19th century, because labor was inexpensive, melodramas typically featured elaborate stage settings–a treadmill with real horses for the chariot races of Ben Hur, for example. Because these sets were so complex, it took time to make the change from one scene to another, and to keep the audience from getting restless, the actors were asked to appear before the curtain to perform whatever entertainment they were capable of providing.

There would be singing, dancing, comic routines, pantomime, juggling, whatever, and initially there was no thematic link between these entertainments and the melodrama itself. They became known as “olios,” a word that literally means “a heavily spiced stew of meat, vegetables, and chickpeas.” For this play, we are working with a very simple set, but between the acts we will be providing some tasty musical numbers in the tradition of the melodrama of a century ago.

Another tradition of the old-fashioned melodrama is audience participation. Our Master of Ceremonies will tell you all about that in greater detail just before we begin, but you might right now start to prepare to contribute some spirited cheers for our hero and heroine, and some hisses and boos for our nefarious villain. That’s all part of the fun.

Tickets for all five performances of Caught in the Villain’s Web may be purchased as follows:

Friday, October 18, 8pm
Opening Night Benefit Performance
for Peapack-Gladstone Public Library
All seats $25.00
May be purchased in advance at the Library or at the Door on the evening of the performance.

Saturday, October 19, 8pm
Thursday, October 24, 8pm
Friday, October 25, 8pm
Saturday, October 26, 8pm
All seats $15.00
For Reservations, please call the Peapack Players hotline at (908)234-2979.