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Saying too much?
Philly Fringe 2016 review: Wild Plum Productions's 'Say No More'
Toby Zinman
Strindberg, one of the many genius wackos of the 19th century, wrote a tiny play called The Stronger. (He also wrote a bunch of long, famous plays, including Miss Julie and Dance of Death.) The five-page script holds intriguing riches, since there are three characters but only one of them speaks. Wild Plum Productions has adapted that brief drama into their Philadelphia Fringe show Say No More.
As any actor or director knows, silence can be deafening onstage. Later playwrights built it into their dramas: Beckett and Pinter are past masters of those powerful stage directions: “Pause” and “Silence.”
This production offers “a rethinking” of Strindberg’s play, making it twice as long (but still with only a 30-minute run time), adapted by Christine Emmert. She plays the speaking character, while Richard Emmert plays the waiter. The silent listener is played by Christine Emmert.
But in this new version, Mallon-Day isn’t silent for long. Nor is the waiter silent. Nobody can keep their mouths shut, which pretty much obviates Strindberg’s subtlety.
The plot is revealed as the two women accidently meet on Christmas Eve in a café. They are old but estranged friends, and Mallon-Day, the younger, talkative character, is married to a man Emmert’s older and more famous character, has had as a lover. Accusations of jealousy (professional as well as personal, since they are both actresses) grow more and more intense, until finally Mallon-Day stalks out, saying, “Thanks for teaching my husband how to love. Now I am going home to love him.” That’s where Strindberg leaves it.
But then, in this adaptation, Emmert’s character has her say, and Richard Emmert’s waiter chimes in and sums up, acknowledging that he cannot decide which one’s “the stronger.” It’s an interesting debate.
It would have been nice if Mallon-Day’s married woman was clearly younger than Emmert, since that is what the script insists on. As it is, they both look the same age, and neither looks like a glamorous actress — and Emmert, not even an over-the-hill glamorous actress. It would also have been nice if Emmert, formerly silent (in Strindberg’s version), had a more expressive and mobile face. But they perform their monologues valiantly, and it’s interesting to see this little play unearthed and performed.
An earlier version of this review misidentified the actors. We apologize for this error.
What, When, Where
Say No More. Through Sept. 17, 2016 at the Jed Williams Gallery, 615 Bainbridge St., Philadelphia. (215) 413-1318 or fringearts.com.
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