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Lettice and Lovage
By Peter Shaffer
Directed by Lucy Smith Conroy
At Court Theatre
5535 S. Ellis Ave
Chicago, IL
Call 773-753-4472, tickets $35 - $55
Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30 PM
Fridays at 8 PM
Saturdays at 3 & 8 PM
Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 PM
Running time is 3 hours with 2 intermissions
Through June 11, 2006
“Enlarge! Enliven! Enlighten!” – Lettice Douffet’s motto for living
Fabulous performances propel Lettice and Lovage
Lettice and Lovage is Peter Shaffer’s (Equus, Amadeus, The Royal Hunt of the Sun) 1987 Tony Award winning comedy written for Maggie Smith. Following Shaffer’s dominant theme: the visionary versus the mediocre, only this time being played out by two middle aged women, Shaffer utilizes a farcical comedic motif as he introduces us to the flamboyant Lettice Douffet (Patricia Hodges), a most memorable character. Essentially, Lettice and Lovage is a funny look at coming to terms with the modern world by two kindred spirits trapped by their imaginations. They form a special friendship that allows them to cope with their dreary lives.
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We meet Lettice as she embellishes her tour narrative because Fustian House in Britain was so bland that her tourist was so bored that she invented unique stories to spice up her tours. When Lotte Schoen (Linda Reiter), sent by the Preservation Trust to investigate Lettice’s transgression from facts, she was not amused and promptly fires Lettice. But Lotte’s quiet passion for history and her deep-seated need for excitement draws her to the exocentric, ostentatious former Shakespearian actress. Lotte wants the romantic world view Lettice projects and an unlikely friendship emerges as the two discover that they have a common view of the gray, dreary modern world that neither cherishes. Both realize, especially through the influence of Lettice’s herbal brew, lovage, that their imagination may be their best remedy to deal with the cold contemporary world. Playing out their imagination through theatrical reenactments of history is their buffer against reality.
This enchanting comedy is a tour de force for both leading characters. Patricia Hodges has the arm-waving, over-the-top manic exuberance and flamboyantly dramatic speech patterns that emotionally present the wacky but lovable Lettice as the hilarious bohemian traditionalist. Hodges never lets up as she deliciously embellishes each scene in a riveting, richly vulnerable performance filled with energy and heart. She wins us from the start.
Linda Reiter, as the stiff, suppressed bureaucrat, Lotte Schoen, unfolds a complex character yearning for excitement and adventure who is attracted to Lettice’s imaginative world view. Reiter is terrific as she peals away Lotte’s seemingly mundane personality to reveal a soul ready for excitement. Reiter’s comedic style plays off Hodges to produce many funny bits.
Seldom to you see a play that develops the main characters as deeply as Lettice and Lovage – act one is Lettice’s and act two is Lotte’s while act three resolves their plight. Filled with many clever, witty and hilarious references to theater and British history, Shaffer’s comedy speaks to those versed in the classics yet there is enough humor to please the neophyte.
What I enjoyed most was Patricia Hodges’ Lettice Douffet –the embodiment of pure imagination and brightening human spirit. To embrace life through her eyes is to shield one self from the bleakness of cold reality. That’s a place I’d rather live in. Lettice shows us the way.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2006
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