"Misalliance": A Delightful Classic Comedy

Soren Barker, Jasmine Fullmer, Jonathon Akio Low, Bradley Mackay,
Collette McCusker, Savanah Smith and Gabe Spencer star in BYU’s
production of Shaw’s comedy “Misalliance.”(Photo: Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)

The Department of Theatre and Media Arts' staging of George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance" is a well-polished and delightful production that takes you back to British Edwardian era. Directed by Barta Lee Heiner, who became the head of BYU's BFA acting program in 1993, this show marks her third time directing this classic comedy at BYU, which accounts for how well the various theatrical elements came together to produce a well-rounded and enjoyable theatre experience.

"Misalliance" tells of one Saturday afternoon in the country home of a wealthy underwear business owner, John Tarleton. His daughter's engaged to aristocrat Bentley Summerhays and the sudden appearance of a handsome pilot, Joey Percival, and a Polish circus acrobat, Lina, spark discussions between the characters on subjects like marriage, sexuality, gender roles, social conduct and familial relationships.

While the plot line may not be the most exciting to 20th century theatre goers, Heiner's blocking creates consistent movement on stage, keeping the audience engaged as the actors play a game of musical chairs. The show takes place in the Margetts Theatre in the Harris Fine Arts Center, which puts the audience no further than six rows from the stage, giving the audience an intimate experience with the performers, and bringing them close to the intricately designed stage, giving one a sense of time travel.

The actors do a good job of keeping their lengthy lines interesting. It's evident in how they speak their lines with genuine meaning that they researched what their characters say. And their accents are top notch, especially Collette McCusker's Polish accent. (McCusker plays Lina.)

What was particularly impressive was the actors' consistent awareness of their characters' complexities. It is difficult to focus on multiple parts of a character's personality at one time and yet each actor seemed to do just that. People are naturally conscious or subconscious of their own complexity in real life but to replicate that on stage while adopting a fictitious personality takes practice. To see the diverse assortment of characters "Misalliance" is blessed with portrayed so thoroughly was quite theatrically gratifying.

To read about how the cast compares the play's themes with BYU culture, click http://universe.byu.edu/?s=misalliance&orderby=date&order=desc