Real life sucks. Modern cinema, such as “American Beauty” or “Revolutionary Road,” will tell you that. People are cruel and selfish, society cares more about corporations than individuals and true love is a fairy tale. “Getting Frankie Married … And Afterwards” presents these notions as well, but does so in a very dull and detached manner, making it no different than a typical “Desperate Housewives” episode.
Horton Foote, a Pulitzer Prize- and Academy Award-winning playwright, is famous for writing about small-town America and the sometimes tragic circumstances that occur under that veneer of normality. Yet “Getting Frankie Married … And Afterwards,” while rife with scandal and sadness, is an uneven and bland experience.
The location for this particular middle-America story is Harrison, Texas, in 1990, that kind of small town where bringing food to your neighbors is a normal, even required, endeavor. Frankie (Martha Demson) and Fred (John Lacy) have been together for 25 years without ever discussing marriage. Then one day, out of the blue, Fred proposes. His reason for doing so would have any other woman running towards the exit.
As such, why someone as independent and observant as Frankie would willingly agree to marriage is mind-boggling, especially when their relationship seems to be devoid of affection.
The play aims to be a satire on the ever-changing standards for normality. Yet it is uneven since the comedic moments fall flat and the dramatic ones make the audience laugh. Moments of comedy was usually achieved through sarcastic looks and body language, mostly given through the performances of Mae (Algerita Lewis), the Mammy figure (or the wise black servant) of this particular story. The dialogue itself lacks that biting wit essential to any good satire.
The circumstances that occur in the play are tragic: death, infidelity, divorce and abuse. Yet these events are treated with such detachment and blasé attitude by the characters that the audience has a hard time relating to or even caring about the events.
That, coupled with the stereotypical portrayal of southern life, makes for a very dull viewing experience.
It also does not help that the performances themselves are inconsistent. There are some moments that move the audience, mainly through Demson’s performance as the quietly suffering Frankie, whose quiet tones belie a darker suffering and knowledge.
Judith Scarpone also gives a stirring performance as Mrs. Willis, Fred’s controlling and emotionally manipulative mother. Though the character is selfish, you understand her plight.
Yet during other moments in the play, which call for humane reactions to harsh news, the acting seemed wooden, the reactions forced. Perhaps a few more runs of the material will make the acting seem more fluid and the actions less stiff.
There were moments where you believe that these could be real people gossiping; goodness knows my mother and her friends gossip like that, quickly and very cattily.
Yet some praise must be given to the set, a house complete with antique photos and ornate wooden furniture. Such attention to detail adds some realism to the play and helps convince the audience that this is an American home. Too bad the play itself isn’t nearly as interesting as the set design.
The second half of “Frankie Getting Married,” where everything unravels, is definitely more interesting and redeems the play in some ways, since it ties the entire events of the first half together and the performances become more natural.
The only caveat is surviving the first half, which by the indicator of the older gentleman who fell asleep next to me, is not an easy endeavor. But get through that, and you do get a somewhat satiric portrait of the everyday tragedies of life. Now, if only I cared more.
E-mail Tran at dtran@media.ucla.edu.