Enchanted April Brings Magic to the Chapin Stage
Enchanted April, the Tony-nominated play by Matthew Barber produced on Broadway in 2003, is the charming, poignant and ultimately uplifting story of four dissimilar British women who do something women just didn't do in 1922 - take a holiday abroad without their husbands. Chapin Community Theatre will offer the first local staging of this award-winning tale May 7-23, 2009.
As the story begins, World War I is still a recent and searing memory, one exacerbated, but not yet washed away, by a persistently rainy winter.
Enter Charlotte "Lotty" Wilton, a Hampstead housewife who, by her own account has always done what's expected of her, including being a dutiful wife to her supercilious husband, Mellersh, a young attorney on the rise. Nevertheless, the post-war gloom intensifies her gaping lack of fulfillment and in near desperation, she begins her search for a happier life.
A chance meeting at her ladies club with Rose Arnott, a fellow parishioner she knows only by sight, sets the story in motion. The ladies simultaneously discover an advertisement for an Italian villa for rent during the coming April and Lotty, resonating with Mrs. Arnott's enigmatic sadness, broaches the topic of a daring holiday escape. During the next several scenes, Lotty drags the reluctant Rose through the process of renting the villa and finding two additional traveling companions to share expenses.
In a series of comic interviews, the ladies first meet the handsome Antony Wilding, owner of the villa and an artist and WWI veteran who has experienced considerable losses of his own. His effect on Rose is immediate and marks the beginning of her own return to happiness.
Then come meetings with Lady Caroline Bramble and Mrs. Clayton Graves. Lady Bramble is a freewheeling, beautiful and bored socialite who just wants to get away "to think." Mrs. Graves is an imperious widow who, set in her ways, expects everyone to yield to her peculiar demands. The two hardly seem appropriate travel companions for Lotty and Rose, but they will have to do.
The Act I climax, in which Lotty and Rose finally announce to their husbands they are going away, is nearly explosive in comparison to the rest of this gentle, romantic comedy. Mellersh Wilton unsuccessfully forbids Lotty to set foot outside their flat, while the more cosmopolitan Frederick Arnott gives Rose the money she needs, resigned to his misperception that she no longer loves him.
A train trip later, the unlikely quartet of women arrive in Italy and, during Act II, they each are gradually able to let go of protective pretenses, along with old pain and disappointments. In a succession of lyrical scenes, they give in to the beauty of their surroundings, secrets are revealed, portraits are painted, and lifelong friendships begin. And when Lotty's and Rose's husbands arrive, forgiveness abounds and loving bonds are renewed.
Enchanted April is based on Elizabeth von Arnim's novel The Enchanted April, a minor classic that has long been a favorite of many women. However, the play should appeal to anyone who ever needed a clean slate, a fresh start - and a little restorative magic.
The play was nominated for the Best New Play and Best Actress Tony Awards in 2003 and earned a Drama League nomination for Best Play. It was also named the Outstanding New American Play for 2003 by the Outer Critics Circle.
Chapin Community Theatre's production is directed by Glenn Farr, who helmed last year's audience favorite, Dearly Beloved. It features Katie Mixon as Lotty Wilton and Tiffany Dinsmore as Rose Arnott, along with Hunter Bolton (Mellersh Wilton), Perry Simpson (Frederick Arnott), Kathy Sykes (Lady Caroline Bramble), John Freeman (Antony Wilding), MonaLisa Botts (Mrs. Graves) and Debra Leopard (Costanza, the housekeeper who speaks virtually no English).
Enchanted April runs May 7-23 (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) at 8 pm each evening. Chapin Community Theatre is located at 107 Columbia Ave., Chapin, SC 29036. Call 803-345-6181 for reservations. Visit www.chapintheatre.org for additional information.
