Counsellor-At-Law: A Supreme Revival

I've grown accustomed to being totally delighted whenever attending a production put up by the adventurous Peccadillo Theater Company. Artistic director Dan Wackerman has a golden knack for coming up with American plays from the first half of the 20th Century that have generally escaped collective memory and mounting them with panache, professionalism and respect for the type of play that shaped the Broadway drama. Sometimes it's an imperfect curiosity from a notable author that's worthy of having the cobwebs blown off. Sometimes, as is the case with their current offering, which has moved uptown to the Theatre at St. Clement's after a successful run at the Village's Bank Street Theatre, it's a fascinating example of a well-crafted, serious melodrama so expertly interpreted, acted and designed that it makes theatre-goers furious that today's Broadway revivals rarely create such engrossing magic.

As directed by Wackerman, Elmer Rice's Counsellor-At-Law opens with a sort of walking ballet depicting the morning ritual of high-powered lawyers, go-getting associates and desperate clients arriving for the daily drama at a law firm overlooking the mid-Manhattan skyline. The continually forward momentum never lets up as Rice's crackling 1931 dialogue takes over, and the three hour production positively flies by.

John Rubinstein stars as George Simon, an accomplished attorney who worked his way up from the Lower East Side Jewish ghetto and tries valiantly to balance his practice between representing wealthy clients who can see him to fame and fortune and helping the hard-working poor struggling for survival at the height of the Depression. An activist youth from the old neighborhood accuses him of betraying his roots while his own wife, born into wealth, feels he deserves no extra credit for his uphill climb, leaving George uncomfortably wavering between social classes. When an anti-Semitic rival blackmails him with information about a compassionate, yet illegal act he committed early in his career, Simon faces disbarment and is forced to consider the ethical lines he's willing to cross.

Rubinstein is a brash whirlwind of the American Dream in this role of a man desperately, although confidently, trying to keep too many balls in the air at once. His manner, gait and voice are continually in a state of flux; being kindly and generous with an elderly widow, harsh and suspicious of his deadbeat brother and nearly pleading for the approval of his hoity-toity spouse.

Matching Rubinstein, though in a more subdued way, is Lanie MacEwan as his unflappable secretary; a keen observer, always an unobtrusive step ahead of his boss. While tirelessly performing her duties and fending off unwanted advances, MacEwan subtly communicates unspoken affection and admiration for her professional superior. She is the empathetic anchor of this dizzyingly-paced production.

The rest of the 21-member cast is a cracker-jack ensemble of uniquely 1930's characters. A weaker production would have the broadest of them played as caricatures, but Wackerman keeps his crew realistically eccentric. Tara Sands is a stitch as the sassy receptionist who balances her work with personal phone calls of her romantic escapades. Other standouts include Brian N. Taylor as a would-be Lothario, Ginger Rich as a heartbroken widow needing help for her anarchist son and Robert O'Gorman as a private investigator who teams up with Rubinstein in a hilarious scene that smells of vaudeville but is still dramatically appropriate. Ashley West and Nell Gwynn each make such an impact in small roles early on that you'd think they were going to be major players.

The design, although in full color, is still suggestive of an RKO Films black and white Manhattan drama. Chris Jones's law office set is dignified, with touches of art deco sophistication. The skyline backdrop is a simple, romantic representation fit to frame Astaire and Rogers, especially under Tyler Micoleau's subtle shades of lighting. Amy Bradshaw's collection of period costumes is stunning in both attractiveness and character definition.

With a limited run set to close on March 6th, I'd advise playgoers to put Counsellor-At-Law at the top of their must-see list. This one is a solid, solid winner.

 

Photos by Mike Messer: Top: (l-r) John Rubinstein and D. Michael Berkowitz; Bottom (l-r) Lanie MacEwan and John Rubinstein