Vanity House's "Phèdre'

Racine comes to Manayunk

JIM RUTTER

Paul Schmidt’s translation of Jean Racine’s Phèdre is the second production at Philadelphia’s newest theater company, the Manayunk-based Vanity House Theater. At a time when Philadelphia seems overpopulated with theater troupes, Vanity House possesses one clear advantage: It’s the only theater in Manayunk. And although Phèdre is a classic, in some respects it’s a perfect choice for the 20-something denizens of Manayunk’s jumping nightlife. You see, the play concerns the destructive effects of an overabundance of sexual passion.

Phèdre (Veronica Wathome), married to the womanizing Theseus (Brian McCann), hungers for her virginal stepson Hippolytus (Chris Braak), who represses his love for Aricia (Miranda Libkin), whom Theseus has imprisoned. Theseus’s sudden death removes the constraints, creating an atmosphere similar to that of a teen heading off to college; and on the advice of her servant Enone (Vivian Appler Lee), Phèdre openly pursues Hippolytus, who in turn openly admits his love for Aricia. In any love triangle (barring French accommodations that Racine somehow overlooked), someone gets left out; here it’s Phèdre. When Theseus returns (he wasn’t dead after all), she spitefully accuses Hippolytus of rape.

You too can sit onstage

In Vanity House’s production, McCann’s stellar performance ignites the stage whenever he appears, while William Braak’s direction keeps the action taut and engaging. And despite the tight space— the play is performed in a former storefront boutique— I’d tell anyone to go just for the experience of sitting in one of the half-dozen chairs placed directly on the stage.

Given all these factors— destructive sexual passion, unrequited longing, false-rape accusations and a subplot of political intrigue— Phèdre clearly offers subject matter that would engage many of those partaking in Manayunk’s nightlife. And except for the imbalanced acting (McCann, Wathome and Lee appear too polished compared to the rest of the cast), the young cast increases this identification (though Schmidt’s translation could’ve modernized the names, for Christ’s sake).

But Phèdre remains a classic based on Greek themes, where actions are motivated by the interference of the gods in human affairs (Phèdre laments, “I have Venus’s virus in me”), and a sense of tragic fate permeates the plot. Racine’s play, though initially unsuccessful, became a hit for its logical construction and the poetry of his verse— which new audiences might not aesthetically appreciate. And unlike Sarah Ruhl’s updating of the Orpheus myth in the Wilma’s current production of Eurydice, now at the Wilma, Schmidt offers only a new translation, not a new allegory for understanding our own times.

It worked for the Greeks, but…

Moreover, the sexual and relationship-oriented themes, while relevant, aren’t resolved in any way that might seem meaningful or illustrative to a Manayunk crowd. As in Romeo and Juliet, nearly everyone dies, though Hippolytus gets killed by a sea-monster, which works in the context of the Greek story but no longer makes sense to modern viewers.

Theater aficionados or purists may well want to travel to Manayunk to see this brilliant translation (as well as McCann’s performance). But other theatergoers would be better advised to spend their $15 on a higher quality, more relevant production downtown.

I don’t doubt Vanity House’s potential for success—William and Deborah Braak are experienced theatre professionals. Given the right programming, a market for theater in Manayunk should quickly catch on.