Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey 2018. Directed by Joseph Discher. Pictured (left to right): Isaac Hickox-Young as Charles Wykeham, Erica Knight as Kitty Verdun, Seamus Mulcahy as Lord Fancourt Babberly, Emiley Kiser as Amy Spettigue, and Aaron McDaniel as Jack Chesney. Photo credit: Jerry Dalia.
Charley’s Aunt -A Review
Brandon Thomas wrote Charley’s Aunt back in the 1890s. When it debuted in Victorian England, it was a huge hit. Times have changed and we certainly are not Victorian in our thinking today. However, what worked then, still works now. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is running a delightful production of Charley’s Aunt. Directed by Joseph Discher, the play incorporates deception, attempts at love, mistaken identity, and finding a long lost love all in one neat package. The package contains many funny moments that gets the audience laughing easily and often.
The story revolves around an attraction that two college chums, Charles and Jack have for two young ladies, Amy and Kitty. In an attempt to spend some time with them, they realize they have to have a chaperone. Word comes that Charles’ Aunt is due to arrive that very day in their town to visit. Several problems immediately arise: 1. Charles has never met her or even seen a photo of her. 2. After plans with the ladies are made, word comes through that she will not make it at the appointed time.
But Jack and Charley are too anxious to spend time with their ladies to let this spoil it. So they recruit their friend, Lord Fancourt Babberly to dress like an older woman and play the part of Charley’s aunt. A theater lover he just so happens to have a woman’s dress with him. So he agrees to play Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez, Charlie’s aunt.
The Fun Begins
A series of events begins after “Charley’s Aunt” arrives on the scene. Not only does she chaperone the ladies, but she is able to act as another woman might with them causing Jack and Charley to become jealous. It’s interesting to watch the batting and swatting that goes on between the three men. It shows signs of early slapstick comedy or even light fare that the Three Stooges would later do.
Pictured (left to right): Seamus Mulcahy as Lord Fancourt Babberly and John Ahlin as Stephen Spettigue. Photo credit: Jerry Dalia.
Jack’s father stops in for an unexpected visit and he decides to make a play for the aunt. Not that she is attractive to him, but the idea of possibly marrying someone with money is. Addtionally, the man who is Amy’s father and Kitty’s guardian also arrives. He, too, gets into the mating action hoping to land Charley’s aunt for himself.
The final twist to the plot occurs when the Charley’s reak Aunt arrives, but she keeps her identity secret. This allows her to reconnect with Jack’s father with whom she had a love interest many years ago.
And so the plot plays out with an ending leading to several engagements and of course, full disclosure of who’s who!
The Acting and Cast
Charley’s Aunt has a humorous plot line and some very funny dialog. But that comes through most aptly through the work of an amazing cast whom Mr. Discher directs superbly. The three younger men include Aaron McDaniel as Jack, Isaac Hickox-Young as Charles (Charley) and Seamus Mulcahy as Lord Fancourt Babberly. The interactions between these three make the play move along in that humorous way especially with Mr. Mulcahy’s portrayal of Charley’s Aunt. One of the lines that becomes his/her signature introduction is that she is from Brazil, where the nuts come from. This line from Charles comes early on as they begin the deception, and gets laughs every time it is used.
The young ladies are played by Erica Knight as Kitty and Emiley Kiser as Amy. Their demure but determined behavior gives a sweet picture of what being chaperoned on a date was like. Sally Kingsford as Ela is sweet as the companion to Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez who has a secret crush on Lord Fancourt Babberly.
Erika Rolfsrud plays Charlie’s real aunt Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez. She is lovely on stage with a beautiful demeanor which allows the chaos around her to look even funnier. Her suitor is played by David Andrew Macdonald as Colonel Sir Frances Chesney who is classy as he is smitten with his rediscovered love. John Ahlin is very humorous as he flits across the stage as Stephen Spettigue in his continued pursuit of the imposter aunt.
A special round of applause goes to Peter Simon Hilton who plays Brassett, a butler to John. His dry delivery of certain lines adds much to some of the funniest moments in the show.
The sets are simple yet elegant and the costumes are done in a variety of colors and styles that add much to the show. The creative team includes Scenic Designer Brian Prather, Lighting Designer Matthew Adelson, Costume Designer Natalie Loveland, Sound Designer Steven Beckel, and Dialect Coach Julie Foh. The Production Stage Manager is Kathy Snyder.
Additional Information About Charlie’s Aunt
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours 35 minutes with two 10-minute intermissions.
Location: F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ.
Performances: Now through Nov. 18, 2018 – Tuesdays through Sundays
Contact for Info and Tickets: Call the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Go directly to the Box Office at the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre.
Special Performances: For the same price as a regular ticket, the Symposium Series performances offer a post-show discussion with the cast and artistic staff. For Charley’s Aunt, the symposia follows the Tuesday, October 30 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 3 at 2:00 p.m., and Saturday, November 10 at 2:00 p.m. performances.
The Know the Show pre-show talks are free-of-cost. Prior to the show, an artist from The Shakespeare Theatre presents a pre-performance talk providing background information and an inside perspective on the production. This program is free with the purchase of a performance ticket, and for Charley’s Aunt are on Thursday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m., with the show beginning at 8:00 p.m.
The Audio Described performance is on Sunday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m. with a sensory seminar beginning at 6:00 p.m. For more information, please contact the Box Office.