Chains – An Overview
Mint Theater Company is back to New York City’s Theatre Row as they present Chains, a play by Elizabeth Baker. Jenn Thompson directs the show which is well paced with a very fine cast. The play gives good attention to detail needed to present the thoughts and actions of its characters both through the acting and the set design. The audience when I attended got us, as strangers, chatting both at intermission and at the end of the play. All of us wanted to swap thoughts and insights about the show. A good production will do that.
Chains was originally scheduled for presentation in 2020 and lost out when CoVid shut down NYC’s theaters. So the opportunity to produce this now was long awaited. By luck, the same group of cast members from 2020 are in this one.
Perhaps it was fate, but in a sense, this show has special meaning right now with all that is happening with the economy and people’s post CoVid examinations of their lives. When Elizabeth Baker wrote this in the early 1900’s, those topics were something she recognized and wrote about.
Mint Theater’s Commitment to Neglected Women Playwrights
Chains is the second offering in Mint’s series “Meet Miss Baker.” This is Mint’s latest effort in its ongoing commitment to create new life for neglected women playwrights. In 2019, Mint Theater Company presented another play by Backer, The Price of Thomas Scott. There are some potential plans for a third one.
In 1909, Elizabeth Baker went from “obscure stenographer making five dollars a week” to “one of the most widely discussed playwrights in London” when Chains had a one-performance “try-out” at the Royal Court in London. The Times and The Globe both called Chains “remarkable.” The next year, Baker’s drama was running in repertory with the plays of Galsworthy, Barrie, Granville Barker and Shaw and was hailed as “the most brilliant and the deepest problem play by a modern British writer since Major Barbara” by The New Age.
Mint Theater Company Press Notes
A large round of applause goes to Mint Theater Company for their efforts towards neglected women playwrights. The Mint has a knack for picking plays which connect to the current day and this is a great time for this play.
Story Centers on Ordinary People Who Want a Less Ordinary Life
Chains opens at Charley Wilson’s house. It is a comfortable but small garden style home in suburban London. Charley works as a clerk, a job that is steady but not interesting. Jeremy Beck focuses his performance as a brooding Charley who is not very happy with his life. The one thing that does give him pleasure is his small garden. Well, maybe his wife, too. He will be promoted to a supervisory role, although the money for the new position will not greatly improve his finances. Then, he finds out his salary is being cut which adds to his frustration.
Laakan McHardy plays Lily Wilson. Her sensitive performance brings out the emotions that seem to be lacking in her husband. She believes in her husband’s abilities and appears quite content with a simple life. Her sister, Maggie Massey, is a beautiful woman who is a shop worker. Olivia Gilliatt does a fine job showing how much her character wants to stop working. To do that, she needs to marry. Her best prospect is Walter Foster played by Ned Noyes. Walter is a pleasant enough man who makes clear how important Maggie is to him. Maggie is not in love with him but quite willing to marry him to end her life working in the shop.
In order to help make ends meet, the Wilsons rent out rooms to borders. Their current border is Fred Tennant. Peterson Townsend shows the excitement Fred has when he announces that he is leaving his job. His next stop is Australia which promises great adventures. As he prepares to leave the Wilson house the next day, Charley and Maggie both want to do what he is doing. However, ties that bind them appear throwing their decision into deeper thought.
Good Acting in Chains
How does one determine how to live their life? If one decides to take an ordinary job, must they stay in that spot always? This is examined in this play. Not included in this review is the event which changes everything for the characters except for Fred Tennant. He does move on but how many of the others do? The ordinary life comes into full focus in the final scenes which leaves one wondering if it is all that bad.
The cast also includes Kyle Cameron, Anthony Cochrane, Christopher Gerson. Also there is Jeff Gurner, Andrea Morales, Brian Owen, Elisabeth S. Rodgers, Claire Saunders, Amelia White, and Avery Whitted.
Sets are Well Designed
Mint Theater Company always does a fine job with sets and lighting. This one is no exception. John McDermott’s set design allows the audience to look into the small Wilson home to see how compact but comfortable it is. A major set change occurs with Act III when Alfred Massey’s house shows. The transition between the two homes is fun to watch. The Massey home is where Lily Wilson grew up and Maggie Mason lives. It is also compact and comfortable signaling the slight adjustment Lily made when she married.
Adding to the impressive set design is the lighting design from Paul Miller. It adds atmosphere to give warmth to the households.
Performance Schedule and Tickets
Performances are now through July 24, 2022. Check minthteater.org for information on times and dates.
Tickets are available online at Theatre Row Box Office. Also they are available by phone at 212/714-2442, ext. 45 (Monday – Sunday. 12pm – 5pm), or in person at the Theatre Row Box Office Box Office (410 West 42nd Street) two hours prior to curtain. Additional service fees will apply for online or phone orders.