‘The Broken Heart’ in Mt. Airy; grim, even for tragedy

Posted 4/6/17

Mattie Hawkinson (from left), who is superb; Josh Carpenter and Gregory Isaac are seen in “The-Broken-Heart,” now at Quintessence Theatre until April 21. (Photo by Shawn May)[/caption] By Hugh …

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‘The Broken Heart’ in Mt. Airy; grim, even for tragedy

Posted

Mattie Hawkinson (from left), who is superb; Josh Carpenter and Gregory Isaac are seen in “The-Broken-Heart,” now at Quintessence Theatre until April 21. (Photo by Shawn May)[/caption]

By Hugh Hunter

"The Broken Heart" (1633) by John Ford is seldom performed. Yet Quintessence Theatre in Mt. Airy was not deterred in staging this difficult piece, an interesting choice for rotating repertory with "Love's Labor's Lost.”

The backstory is bigger than the story. Set in ancient Sparta, two warring houses arranged a marriage contract between Penthea and Orgilus. The two fell in love. But when Penthea's father died, her brother Ithocles (Daniel Miller) revoked the agreement and married Penthea off to aging Bassanes (Gregory Isaac), a man also prone to fits of jealous rage.

So, the important stuff has already happened, and "Broken Heart" is all about the enduring heartbreak of the two lovers. Mattie Hawkinson, who also stars in "Love's Labor's" as the Princess of France, comes up big again as Penthea. With minimal histrionics, she makes Penthea's downward spiral into Ophelia-like despair feel believable.

Josh Carpenter pairs up well. Penthea's unpredictable outbursts provoke a matching response in Orgilus. In a weird way the two are still close, except that now their love affair has been transformed into a relationship rooted in shared bereavement and a discordance of desperate behaviors.

"Broken Heart" drags at times. There are nearly 20 characters but no shared bone of contention. Much as in normal life, each character has his own subplot and agenda — not good for dramatic intensity. It is up to Orgilus to give the story force and direction; he does so by fulfilling the words of the Delphic Oracle: "Revenge proves its own executioner.”

The costume design of Jane Casanave adds a lot. Colorful and distinctive dress underscores how much everyone is steeped in worlds of private concern. She also makes Orgilus stand out. As he thrashes around, Orgilus changes garb with every violent shift in mood and resolution.

Director Alexander Burns prefers to let the actors and dramatic poetry of John Ford carry the show. His stage is spare, but he does have one nifty trick up his sleeve: the audience is invited into the large Quintessence ante-chamber to attend the wedding feast of Queen Calantha (Ebony Pullum)! And it works, helping make the grand finale bizarre and memorable.

The production takes advantage of the few comic possibilities the script offers. Bassanes' bullying of servants Phulas (Michael Gamache) and Grausis (Dana Kreitz) is amusing; so are the affectations of Groneas (Lee Cortopassi), a courtier. But these fleeting gleams of candlelight do little to dispel the prevailing darkness.

Even for tragedy, "The Broken Heart" is grim, sharing in the gloom and gore of Jacobean revenge drama. And though a complete reversal of the comic gaiety of "Love's Labor's Lost", it also shares in Shakespeare's sense that love passions are both joyous and dangerous.

Quintessence Theatre is located at 7137 Germantown Ave. "The Broken Heart" will run in rotating repertory with "Love's Labor's Lost" through April 21. Tickets available at 215-987-4450 or quintessencetheatre.org

arts