Horton Foote's The Day Emily Married: Unnerving and Exhilarating

Lyd Davis sways fearfully in her throne-like rocker, a septuagenarian princess accustomed to a lifetime of being coddled. The chill she feels in the scorching Harrison, Texas summer heat of 1955 is only warmed by memories inspired by the fifteen sepia-toned photographs mounted above her well-preserved living room sofa like the royal lineage. Her devoted husband, Lee says she's still his flapper, although her clownish spit curls and heavy rouge make her look more like a little girl playing make-up. Whether she's aware of it or not, it's Lyd's little girl qualities that keep her in command of her crumbling household. Her fading mental capacity, need for attention and openly-expressed fear of ending her life alone, are the most effective weapons she has in manipulating her loved ones to make her final years comfortable on her own terms.

As embodied by Estelle Parsons in Horton Foote's unnerving new domestic drama, The Day Emily Married, Lyd's most memorable moments come in silent monologues as she overhears her daughter and future son-in-law debating where they'll live their married life, and once again as she listens in on a second act confrontation. With Rui Rita's lighting subtly guiding our attention and Jeff Cowie's two-room set emphasizing homespun coziness that often crosses into claustrophobia, her anguish, terror and skill at mental domination makes her a pitiful, yet fascinating creation.

Foote, a long-time master of finely crafted plays and the beauty of plain speaking, waited four years before going ahead with this premiere production, now in a limited run at Primary Stages. As with many of his works it's based on people he knew and the 88 year old playwright says he prefers to wait until everyone who "might get angry" at him has "gone to their reward." This one concerns the occupants of one of the last remaining quaint old homes on what has now become a busy highway. (Cowie and costume designer David C. Woolard's frequent use of floral patterns and warming earth tones nicely contrast with the noisy traffic sounds supplied by Andre Pluess.) Lyd's husband Lee (a stately, but soft-spoken William Biff McGuire) could have made a healthy sum selling the place to put up a gas station, but his business practices have long been unaggressive and although the family has been financially comfortable, there is little available to to support them in the event of his death.

So when their only child, Emily, divorced, childless and approaching 40, finds herself engaged to Richard, a seemingly earnest and intelligent go-getter, they welcome the newlyweds with an invitation to live in their home and offer their new son-in-law a share of the family finances by allowing him to manage the selling of property and the re-investing of the profits. But Richard's preference for risky ventures with the possibility of high impact scares Lee, and his lack of humanity in collecting on old debts raises skepticism on his true intentions.

Director Michael Wilson has assembled a cast so subdued and natural (the intentionally idiosyncratic Ms. Parsons notwithstanding) the production often feels like you're peeking inside someone's back yard window, only to find yourself embarrassed and ashamed for what you've seen. Particularly when Pamela Payton-Wright, in a small role as one of Richard's business victims, pulls off a heartbreaking display of agony with only a minimal amount of on-stage time to prepare. Hallie Foote (the playwright's daughter who has been often admired as an interpreter of her father's work) gives us an Emily whose emotions are safely guarded under lock and key while retaining her southern manners. Her scenes with James Colby, as Richard, show a marriage generating no more romance than a mutually beneficial business transaction.

Although the current theatre season is still in its infancy, The Day Emily Married sets some high standards to match on every artistic level. An evening with the Davis family may not be terribly comfortable, but they'll send you home exhilarated.

For more information visit primarystages.com

For Michael Dale's "mad adventures of a straight boy living in a gay world" visit dry2olives.com