Three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Thornton Wilder’s last
novel
”
Theophilus North,
”
published when Wilder was 76, is a play that almost did not
become a reality. Actor/playwright Matthew Burnett became almost
obsessed with the Wilder book so much so that he kept writing the
play even after being turned down by the Wilder estate.
Three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Thornton Wilder’s last novel “Theophilus North,” published when Wilder was 76, is a play that almost did not become a reality. Actor/playwright Matthew Burnett became almost obsessed with the Wilder book so much so that he kept writing the play even after being turned down by the Wilder estate. For several years between playing roles in the theatre he would spend his available time on a Brooklyn rooftop tuning and honing the 400-page novel into a two-hour play. When he finally completed the script he successfully presented it to the estate and, this time, received permission to publish and present “Theophilus North.”
The story almost takes on the tone of Wilder’s well-known “Our Town.” As in many of Wilder’s stories, the lead characters change the lives of the people they come in contact. A point of interest: Wilder was a surviving twin. His brother who died shortly after birth was given the family name of Theophilus.
Leslie Martinson’s direction is delicate and detailed; she keeps her characters individualized and fresh.
The story is a simple one that takes place in 1926. Mark Anderson Phillips brilliantly and delicatly handles the 30-year-old Theophilus character, who finds himself stranded in the midst of and for the most part insensitive upper crust of Newport, R.I. His new Yale degree, intelligence, empathic charm, wit and confidence give him the perfect ability to offer his services as tutor, psychologist and problem solver for the neurotic, sometime stogy, nefarious population of the area. His ambition is to travel and experience the world. His plans are to stay as long as it takes to make enough money and be on his way.
The supporting cast takes on 50 different roles with outstanding ease. They fine-tune each personality to a point that the audience doesn’t become confused with the different characters they play. Julia Brothers, Kristin Stokes, Craig Marker, Zehra Berkman, Jackson Davis, Patrick Sieler are all strong actors and give an elegant approach to each role they play.
As usual, TheatreWorks productions are class acts and always offer fine theatre.
