MARCHBANKS: As old as the world now. This morning I was eighteen.
CANDIDA: Eighteen! Will you, for my sake, make a little poem out of the two sentences I am going to say to you? And will you promise to repeat it to yourself whenever you think of me?
MARCHBANKS: Say the sentences.
CANDIDA: When I am thirty, she will be forty-five. When I am sixty, she will be seventy-five.
This afternoon, my sweetie and I went to the Colony Theatre in Burbank for a little belated Valentine’s theatre: “Candida” by George Bernard Shaw. “Candida” was an appropriate play for Valentine’s Day: it is a story about a woman, Candida, who thinks for herself, and the men that love her. Who are these men? The first is her husband, the Reverend James Morell, a Christian Socialist clergyman of the Church of England. The second is Eugene Marchbanks, a strange and insecure poet of eighteen years who has become a frequent guest in the Morell household.
As the play opens, we meet the Reverend and a procession of visitors: his secretary, Miss Prospeprine Garnett, who is arranging his usual busy schedule of lectures; the Reverend Alexander Mill (“Lexy”), Morell’s curate; Mr. Burgess, Morell’s father-in-law. Finally, Candida his wife enters, followed by Eugene. As the play progresses, Eugene tells the Reverand that he is in love with Candida and means to take her away from what he sees as a plain, unhappy marriage. At first, Morell patronizes him and refuses to take him seriously. As the conversation becomes more heated, Marchbanks’s words begin to strike home. Marchbanks is about to leave when Candida enters and convinces him to come and help her set the table for lunch. Marchbanks feels he has won a great victory, and Morell is left alone, with his confidence in the security of his marriage badly shaken. Later that afternoon, Eugene is horrified to learn that Candida is filling and trimming lamps, chastising Morell for allowing his wife’s delicate fingers to be sullied by such work. Eugene’s head is filled with romantic visions, not the practical world. Later, Candida returns to talk to her husband, noting that the women who attend his lectures aren’t really moved by what he says. They simply come to look at him because they, like her, are in love with him. However, she feels sorry that poor, young Eugene has never had the love that her husband is accustomed to. She is concerned for how Eugene will ever learn about love; and, gradually, Morell realizes that he would be foolish to simply take his wife’s love for granted. He is in a state bordering on mental agony when Marchbanks enters. Finally, Morell leaves for a lecture he has agreed to, leaving Marchbanks alone with Candida for the evening. While Morell is gone, Marchbanks recites poetry to Candida by firelight. She, however, is deep in thought and largely oblivious to him. Finally, she tells him to put his poetry aside and come and talk to her. Morell returns from his lecture to find Marchbanks on his knees in front of Candida with his arms clasped on her lap. Unembarrassed, Candida leaves to take care of household business. Morell and Marchbanks argue again, about the young poet’s feelings for Candida and about their very differing views on romance, marriage, and life. When Candida reenters, the two men tell Candida of the arguments they have been having and tell her they want her to choose between the two of them. “I suppose it is quite settled that I must belong to one or the other,” she responds, and asks what each will bid for her. Morell finally breaks down and weeps but responds to her request with practicality, offering strength, honesty, industry, and dignity. Marchbanks is ever the poet, offering his “heart’s need.” Candida will, of course, make her own decision, but, before she is finished, she hopes to teach these two men something. She is, after all, her own woman—and, if choose she must, it will be on her terms, not theirs.
[Summary adapted from the Utah Shakespeare Festival]
The play was typical Shaw: lots and lots of words, with lots and lots of dialect. I found the first act good, but for some reason the second act made me a bit drowsy. However, the third act, where Candida came into her own, was a delight and made the play for me. Perhaps because I’ve seen and known women like Candida… women who are not just the wife, but are their own thinkers and are in their relationships because they love and care about their partner. It was just wonderful.
Part of what made this production great was the cast. Candida was played by Willow Geeræ (a member of the famous Geer family). She just exuded spunk and beauty and vitality, and was a perfect Candida. Her husband, the Reverand Morell, was played by Mark Deakinsæ, who did an excellent job of inhabiting the pastor with visible passion for his cause, and less visible passion for his wife. The third part of the triangle, Eugene Marchbanks, was played by Johnathan McClainæ, who captured the boy poet and his naivete about love and romance. Supporting roles were played by Gabriel Diani (Lexy), Matthew Henersonæ (Burgess, Candida’s father), and Kate Hollinshead (Prosperine)æ. They did suitable jobs, although Hollinshead’s accent seemed to keep moving about England, and occasionally to Ireland.
[æ denotes members of 
Turning to the technical side: The set, designed by Michael C. Smith, was a single drawing room at the Morell’s with the appropriate books, desks, chairs, etc. It did an adequate job of setting the place. The costumes by Sherry Linnell were excellent, setting time and place, while looking beautiful. They were complemented by the hair and wigs designed by Joni Rudesill. The lighting design by Donna Ruzika eschewed the spotlights for overall lighting that served to establish mood and setting in a quiet way. Props were designed by MacAndMe. The production was directed by Kathleen F. Conlin (yet another Utah Shakespeare Festival veteran). The production stage manager was Leesa Freed.
“Candida” continues at the Colony Theatre until March 8. Discount tickets are available on Goldstar and other venues, plus if you mention “VICTORIA PARK” when you call them, you can get $5 off any ticket.
Upcoming Theatre: Next up on the calendar is Pasadena, where on February 21 @ 8pm we have “Stormy Weather” at the Pasadena Playhouse. March 7 is a SoCalGamesDay, so no theatre is scheduled. March brings “Little Shop of Horrors” at Van Nuys HS (it is running March 12, 13, 14 and 19, 20, 21 — let me or nsshere know if you want tickets). March 22 @ 1pm brings “Frost/Nixon” at the Ahmanson (HotTix became available 2/18). March 28 @ 8pm brings “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” at Rep East. April 4 @ 2pm is “42nd Street” at Cabrillo Music Theatre. We’re planning on going to the Southern California Renaissance Faire on either April 11 or April 12. April 18 @ 8pm, after I take the CISSP exam, will be “Mauritius” at the Pasadena Playhouse. The weekend of April 25/26 is set aside for the OERM Spring Railfestival. May 2 or 3 (pending ticketing) will hopefully be “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Theatre League Thousand Oaks (this is their last weekend). May 10 (pending ticketing) should be “Is He Dead? at ICT Long Beach. May 17 (again, pending ticketing) should be “big” at West Coast Ensemble, to be followed by “The Green Room at Hermosa Beach Playhouse on May 24 (pending ticketing). The end of May (May 28, 29, 30) brings “Fiddler on the Roof” at Nobel Middle School, where nsshere may be involved with the lighting design. Lastly, June 6 @ 8pm is “The Wedding Singer” “Musical TBA” at Repertory East Playhouse, and June 20 @ 8pm is “The Little Foxes” at The Pasadena Playhouse. Quite an ambitious theatrical spring.
You can help too. Remember that a recent study showed that it isn’t possessions that are important — it is shared experiences. So go have one of the best shared experiences there is: go support your local live theatre, and help keep all the people who work at the theatre (from the cast to the technical staff) employed.
Dining Notes: We had to dine in a bit of a hurry: We hit Ikea before the show, and the bookcase proved just a bit too big for the car. So we had to go home and swap cars. But, we found a nice little Italian place at the edge of the Burbank mall that not only had great food, but great service: Pasta Pomodoro. Alas, time did not permit us to take advantage of the offer from the manager for a dessert, but the staff and food were great. We will remember them the next time we go to the Colony.
