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A Taste of Honey
By Shelegh Delaney
Directed by Jeremy Wechsler
Produced by Shattered Globe Theatre
At Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theatre
2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
Call 773-871-3000, tickets $27 - $30- $35
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes with intermission
Through July 5, 2008
Groundbreaking 1950’s British drama vividly comes to life at Victory Gardens Greenhouse
Kudos to Shattered Globe Theatre Company for mounting the then 18 year old Shelegh Delaney’s 1958 drama “A Taste of Honey.” This play broke new ground as it confronted taboo social issues from a poor working class women’s perspective. Pregnancy by an unwed woman with a black man, drunken parental abuse and with hints of homosexuality in one of the characters, were not explored on stage in Britain in the 1950’s until “A Taste of Honey” was mounted at the Theatre Workshop in London in 1958—it ran for 359 performances.
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Delaney’s characters were from the poor class and dealt with social and economic realities of post war England. Helen (Linda Reiter is a riveting performance) is the mother who drinks too much and is nasty and incapable of communicating with her teenaged daughter Jo (Helen Sadler in a strong yet venerable turn). We see that they are reduced to squalor by living in a rundown Manchester flat (set design by Kevin Hagan). Helen and Jo argue over everything—they have a loveless mother-daughter relationship. Helen drinks and Jo sits and pouts. Jo is starved for attention and love. Helen is a bitter and lonely woman bent on landing another young guy. Peter (Jeremy van Meter) is the young alcoholic who lusts over Helen. Booze and sex are their interests. Peter instantly dislikes Jo who returns the insults. When Helen leaves to marry Peter, Jo finds a sailor and quickly falls in love with the black man played charmingly by Bryson Engelen.
Is Jo trying to copy her mother or is she simply love starved? Fast forward a few months—Jo now lives with her friend Geof (Kevin Viol in a sweet boy-next-store performance). Jo is near term in her pregnancy and Geof is her constant companion and caregiver. Geof is sweet and referred to as gay by Helen and Peter. He never refutes those comments. Geof is a true mench who is Jo’s only friend. Jo still treats Geof at times with contempt mainly because she doesn’t know how to communicate with anyone. She is more like her mother than she realizes.
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The cast sports the tough Manchester accent nicely compelling the audience to tune-in to get the rhythms. The accent is similar to working class cockney heard in London. Kudos to dialect coach Roger Smart for the realism of the cast. I would add that the acting was exemplary. Helen Sadler’s Jo is a nasty, selfish and crude teen yet Sadler allows Jo the needed vulnerability to be effective. Linda Reiter is terrific as the hard drinking woman fearing middle age and loneliness. Kevin Viol is the warm hearted nice guy while Jeremy van Meter is the ignorant, loud-mouthed drunk. Bryson Engelen is the charming sailor.
“A Taste of Honey” plays as a look into the crudeness of lower class life. It is amazingly insightful play especially since it was written an 18 year old grammar school dropout. Director Jeremy Wechler allows the characterizations to be fully explored in this tight and emotionally powerful play. We feel Jo and Helen’s pain and eventually Geof’s.
This 1950’s work still has resonance today. Shatter Globe Theatre continues their banner year with this strong play.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2008
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