Words by Kristen Fogle
Seeing “How the Other Half Loves” is experiencing theater at its most pleasurable. A visit to the Scripps Ranch Theatre (albeit a little hard to find without having been there or receiving detailed directions) is a short, pleasant drive for those living in San Diego proper and set among a beautiful campus. The theater itself is brimming with warm wonderful ushers and staff, and the space is adorably decorated for what is a one part smart, two parts silly performance that is sure to be enjoyed by patrons both old and young.
The action of “How the Other Half Loves” takes place in the homes of two couples, Fiona and Frank Foster and Bob and Teresa Phillips. A late night dalliance involving the wife of one and the husband of the other requires excuses that involve a third innocent couple, leading to the usual escalation of misunderstandings, mistaken assumptions, and resulting fireworks. It should be noted that the two homes are not staged side by side but are intermingled. As a result, two scenes may be played simultaneously even though they are in two locations and at different times. This makes for interesting blocking and a play that never sees a dull moment.
“This is a highly technical play to perform. It must be choreographed with precision and honed with perfect timing,” says director, Jim Caputo.”But there is nothing like when it is done well—and we will.” He is correct; the play’s scenes are enacted flawlessly by tremendously talented cast members. Susan Clausen, who plays bored, upper class housewife Fiona Foster, does so with a panache, her witty one liners obviously honed from years of working with companies about town, including North Coast Rep and Lamb’s Players. Fiona’s husband, Frank Foster, is expressed with bumbling confusion ever so endearingly by the talented Eric Poppick. Couple Bob and Teresa (Neil McDonald and DeNae Steele) bicker in the worst way; channeled by Ayckbourn’s “positive” memories of relationships in his youth, this one is putrid in every sense of the word. Steele skillfully delivers unabashed anger ever so believably while making us laugh at her comic retorts, which are mostly aimed at bloke-ish Bob. Lastly, William and Mary Featherstone are taken on by Adam Daniel and Maelyn Gandola. Daniel and Gandola are clearly adept—the demands of the dinner scene alone will prove what these two have to offer. Gandola in particular is a gem—her tiny frame and the squeamish way she portrays Featherstone—it is hard to picture another local actress in that role.
The set and costumes were not spared meticulous efforts either. Through paint and props, it was easy to delineate which space belonged to which couple, making the action easy to follow and allowing the audience to concentrate on more pressing issues (like not laughing too loudly). Costumes were both of British taste and true to time period. (I especially enjoyed Frank’s workout wear as well as Mary’s outfits, which were somehow simultaneously meek in tailoring, loud in color.)
All in all, “How the Other Half Loves” is a great show. Its only downfall is that it shows couples who really don’t get along, and maybe, would be better off if they weren’t together at all. But, if you can get past that and into the comedic efforts of a good script, great direction, and a terrific cast, this is definitely a fun romp well worth watching.
How the Other Half Loves
Scripps Ranch Theatre
9/10-10/8
Alliant University
Legler Benbough Theatre
10455 Pomerado Road
San Diego, CA 92131
858-578-7728
http://www.scrippsranchtheatre.org/
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