The Madras House: After A Fashion

With its depictions of men controlling women's fashions, sexual politics and warnings of a rising economic force in the Middle East, Harley Granville-Barker's The Madras House, getting a fine and stately production at The Mint Theater under Gus Kaikkonen's direction, is one of those plays that inspires musty old sayings like "It's as relevant today as it was back then."

Back then, in this case, is 1909, elegantly realized by Clint Ramos' Edwardian costumes, Charles Morgan's beautiful set and William Armstrong's effective lighting.  Philip Madras (a quietly dignified Thomas M. Hammond), a businesslike fellow not particularly interested in fashion, was left in charge of his father's London dressmaking business when the old man, Constantine (George Morfogen) deserted the family thirty years ago for a new lifestyle in the Middle East.  With the business about to be sold to a brash American (Ross Bickell) who has new ideas about how the women's movement will encourage every lady to express herself through dazzling dresses, Constantine returns, announcing that he has become a Mohammedan and that attractive clothing on women merely succeeds in distracting men and bringing down morals and the economy.

Divided into four loosely connected acts (there is one intermission), The Madras House is a play of ideas, rather than plot.  The opening act focuses household of Philip's business partner Uncle Henry (an amusingly befuddled Jonathan Hogan) who has six dutiful daughters following the expected middle-class pursuits.  The following scene addresses the working conditions for women at the time, as Philip must resolve a conflict between a pregnant employee and the married supervisor who may be the father.  After intermission is when Constantine makes his initial entrance, first to take care of business matters, and next to take care of personal matters with the woman he left thirty years ago (Roberta Maxwell).

Clocking in at three hours (only partially due to some slow passages in Kaikkonen's direction) The Madras House can certainly use some tightening up, but it's to The Mint Theater's credit that such thoughts are out of the question.  As is typical for this company, a strong cast delivers a rarely seen artifact from our theatrical past in an eloquently mounted production.

Photos by Richard Termine:  Top:  George Morfogen, Roberta Maxwell and Thomas M. Hammond

Bottom:  Jonathan Hogan, Mark L. Montgomery, Pamela McVeagh, Thomas M. Hammond, Kraig Swartz, Scott Romstadt and George Morfogen