Review: MISALLIANCE at A Noise Within

Misalliance is a triumphant new production of George Bernard Shaw’s 1910 classic comedy at A Noise Within in Pasadena. Misalliance is a delight, a breezy, witty, carefree period romp and delectable social satire set on the sprawling Surrey estate of underwear tycoon John Tartleton. There all kinds of delightful shenanigans, philosophical bloviating, plane crashes, madcap hillside lovemaking, and even a little light-hearted assassination attempt in the conservatory.

Misalliance is anchored by a tremendous bravura comedy performance by Josey Montana McCoy, who absolutely steals the show as Bentley Summerhays, a silly young aristocrat engaged to John Tartleton’s daughter.  “He’s overbred, like one of those expensive little dogs,” is how his prospective mother-in-law describes him.  Josey Montana McCoy’s physical comedy is virtuosic.  I almost fell out of my chair laughing at McCoy’s hysterical freakouts, babyish meltdowns, and facial contortions.  Roars of audience laughter and spontaneous applause came in nonstop.  What a truly magic-making star performance.

I have been an ardent George Bernard Shaw fan since my tweens, but it is a rare treat to see this Ango-Irish playwright and activist performed live, and I applaud A Noise Within’s co-artistic directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott for diving into Shaw’s messy classic farce.  A Noise Within crafts something beautifully frolicsome and sharp-witted and thoughtfully satirical in this lively production of Misalliance, with gorgeous, lavish stagecraft and a strong, vibrant cast.

As a woman who studied Greco-Roman philosophy and drama, and who deeply loves great classics of the theatre, I feel a bit disheartened each time I grind up against the condescension and hate towards women in some classic (and for that matter, contemporary) drama.   How refreshing it is then to be immersed in George Bernard Shaw, a strident vegetarian feminist playwright who strives to capture full-bodied female voice.  “Men like the conventions because men made them,” Hypatia Tartleton declares in Misalliance.  Hypatia is the mischievous, free-spirited, terribly bored daughter of wealthy mogul John Tartleton.  A great character, she is perhaps a bit underplayed by Erika Soto, who achieves some glorious comedy, but fumbles at times in unleashing the character’s capricious feline charm and profound inner yearning.  Hypatia has many of the great lines in Misalliance, like “I don't want to be good; and I don't want to be bad: I just don't want to be bothered about either good or bad: I want to be an active verb.”

Misalliance’s bold feminist heroine, Lina Szczepanowska, literally crash lands into Tartleton’s house.  The aviatrix and Polish acrobat is magnificent fun, played with great self confidence, radiant charisma, deadpan delivery, and buckets of devil-may-care sex appeal by Trisha Miller, who was sheer loveliness in A Noise Within’s A Christmas Carol.  Miller's final, triumphant feminist mega-monologue feels like it may be just going by too fast, without the lines having the chance to fully breathe.  Miller’s performance of Lina Szczepanowska is a beloved audience favorite, often gathering spontaneous and adoring applause.

Mrs. Tarleton, the underwear tycoon’s wife, is performed with great insight, subtlety and humor by extremely talented actress Deborah Strang, who also does excellent accent work and captures the social struggle of a hard-working woman who suddenly becomes rich and has to fit in with “society”.  Her performance and manner swerve perfectly between lady of the manor and maid.

At times, John Tarleton’s breezy, self-righteous infidelities and Mrs. Tartleton’s hennish devotion feel unrealistic to me.  But then just this week a shiny, wizened gnome, retired from lording at Google, made news for actually appearing at an event with his smiling wife, instead of the grim armies of much-younger mistresses he usually marches around. So perhaps George Bernard Shaw has captured something lamentably immortal.

As John Tartleton, Peter Van Norden delivers a splendid performance radiating warmth, by turns bombastic, grounded, monstrously self-absorbed, ridiculous, wise, hilarious, and strangely endearing.  Norden has uncannily perfect comedic timing in the spellbinding scene with Joshua Bitton.

Joshua Bitton delivers a truly superb, mesmerizing performance as equal parts revolutionary socialist, apologetic accountant and drunk relative.  It is hilarious and touching and thought-provoking, all at once.  Joshua Bitton’s accent work is outstanding, shading the hometown, class, and era of his character.  Another incredible and perfectly accented voice in this cast is Frederick Stuart, playing Lord Summerhays.  In fact listening to Stuart’s glorious, rich diction and staggeringly great voice as the Narrator in last year’s A Christmas Carol was one of the great delights of the season.  Frederick Stuart has a rich, wry, subtle performance style with pitch perfect, sophisticated comedic timing, as well as a certain kind of wistful sadness and longing that add unexpected depth to Summerhays.

With some quite impressive exceptions, this is a cast that struggles at times with the demands of the class-specific Edwardian English accent.  Listening to the occasional, distracting accent misfires in Misalliance, I sometimes wondered if the production would be better off abandoning the accents altogether.

The staging is strikingly gorgeous, cozy, and lavish, with lovely rich green walls, beautiful windows overlooking the leafy garden and a radiant sense of lazy golden afternoon sunlight wafting in.  Scenic designer Angela Balogh Calin, lighting designer Ken Booth, and properties designer Stephen Taylor achieve something quite enchanting.  I enjoyed looking at the immersive set even before the play started.  There are opulent jewel tones, gilt paintings, airy rattan furniture, books, chandeliers, and a delightful, immediate sense of world-building.

Guillermo Cienfuegos is a cultural gift to Los Angeles, an award-winning director who crafts indispensable works on stage.  I was blown away by his breathtaking work directing Heroes of the Fourth Turning at Rogue Machine in 2023, electrifying in its clarity, kicky tension, and high voltage brilliance.  Cienfuegos is a very accomplished actor himself and knows intuitively how to elicit fascinating performances of organic, spellbinding texture. His timing is a work of beauty.

It is always a pleasure to see Cienfuegos’ work, and Misalliance is an absolutely scrumptious treat, not to be missed.

Photos by Craig Schwartz

Misalliance runs through June 9th at A Noise Within.  A Noise Within is located at 3352 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107. There is free parking behind the theatre at the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Parking Structure. You can get tickets by calling (626) 356–3100 or by clicking the button below:

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