Theater review: Accents and deception entertain in“The White Liars”/“Black Comedy”

The combination of Peter Shaffer’s “The White Liars” and ”Black Comedy” in Upstage’s first production of the year provided something for everyone, from people who like stories about lies, deceit, betrayal and mysteries to those who prefer more amusing tales about petty robbery, drunken old women and a funny German man who may or may not be a multimillionaire. Whatever is your “cup o’ tea”—as the plays’ English characters might say—you will be duly entertained by “The White Liars” and “Black Comedy.”

“The White Liars” and “Black Comedy” are two separate plays, both directed, performed and crewed entirely by Wellesley students. Both plays dealt with deception and thoroughly entertained the audience.

“The White Liars,” directed by Meredith Healy ’13, was truly mind-boggling—it would have required color-coded notes to keep track of the lies the characters were telling at any given moment. The premise: somebody is in love with somebody else, somebody is—or was—rich and absolutely everybody is a pathological liar. An Austrian baroness, who might actually be an English fortune-teller or someone else altogether, is the middleman between two young men struggling with love and friendship (and honesty!). Every few minutes there is another jump in logic as the actresses peel back a new layer of falsehoods and immediately began spinning a fresh web of lies. All three characters demand compassion, but the degree to which they cheat and betray one another leaves the audience largely incapable of sympathy.

“The White Liars” boasted just three actresses, who were more than capable of carrying the play without additional on stage support. Alex Ostolaza ’13, who played the mystic Sophie, more than managed the difficult role of remaining on stage for the duration of the performance. Lindsay Rico was eerily convincing as Frank; appealing and engaging, her twitchy, troubled and torn portrayal was simply outstanding. Tom, played by Allegra Porter ’13, was similarly captivating.

“Black Comedy,” directed by Margaret Dunn ’13, details the intertwined adventures of young lovers, a Colonel, elderly neighbors, an electrician and an eccentric millionaire during a blackout. Brindsley is engaged to Carol, the Colonel’s daughter, but he’s also up to something with Claire, who he’s hiding in his darkened bedroom. An old woman is getting drunk for the first time and along the way a few other oddballs join the light-less party.

The stars of this second show were Shyaan Hasnain ’14 as Brindsley and Kelly Kern ’14 as Carol, both of whom succeeded in creating powerfully amusing characters. Rebecca Spilecki ’14 offered up quite a few laughs as a hilarious elderly drunk with a strange obsession with soft skin. This larger cast—seven members as opposed to the previous act’s three—managed to establish seven entirely unique personas, a noteworthy feat considering the play’s short duration and busy atmosphere.

The stage manager and lighting designer for “Black Comedy” also deserve acknowledgment. In a play that took place in a blackout, with matches, candles and flashlights constantly being lit, Hannah Gross ’13 and Emma Zeig ’13, respectively, had their work cut out of them.

In an interesting reversal of the Victorian tradition of pretty young men claiming women’s parts, all six of the male roles demanded by the twin plays were filled by women. This is where the real praise was earned: after a few minutes of watching a scene, it becomes truly difficult to remember that you’re watching women. For the male roles, the women had to wear sports bras, bind their breasts and stuff socks (ahem!) down their pants. The young actresses spoke and even walked like men; they stiffened their backs and pointed their toes outward—in addition to a few other tricks I missed—and there were moments when I could’ve sworn that at least a few of them had Y chromosomes.

The accents also deserve a nod. The plays were set in post-World War II England, and the actresses affected a variety of English, Austrian and German accents. Danika Suggs ’14 played a colonel whose every heavily accented line oozed pompousness, while Lauren Bruno ’14, as Schuppanzigh, was adorably mild-mannered as a German electrician.

Overall, the plays were remarkably well done and a superb showcase of Wellesley’s dramatic talent. There were a few oral slipups, but the cast remained unaffected; the acting, directing and lighting were all virtually faultless. The few faults there were can be forgiven when the limited experience and the bare five weeks of rehearsal time possessed by the students involved is considered. Whether audience members attended for the enjoyment of a good story or to witness the employment of excellent young talent, neither “The White Liars” nor “Black Comedy” was capable of disappointing.