In 1932, Eugene O’Neill, who was already famous for his serious, searing dramas, wrote a light-hearted play, “Ah, Wilderness!” that is currently being given an impeccable production at Arena Stage.
The story of a tightly knit family on a typical Fourth of July in 1906 at their Connecticut home, “Ah, Wilderness” begins in nineteenth-century melodramatic mode, with all the older members of the Miller family condemning the seventeen-year-old son, Richard (William Patrick Riley) for his interest in new, “radical” writers like Oscar Wilde, Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw.
Richard’s father, Nat Miller (Rick Foucheux) is a well-educated newspaper publisher. It takes until the end of the play for him to admit that he sees the humor in Shaw. Richard’s mother, Essie (Nancy Robinette) is a fussy woman who at the beginning of the play treats Richard as though he is 12. Although Richard has three other siblings (played by Davis Hasty, Talisa Friedman, and Thomas Langston/T.J. Langston), the play is really Richard’s coming-of-age story.
| Onstage |
| ‘Ah, Wilderness’ |
| Where: Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW |
| When: Through April 8 |
| Info: $40 to $85; 202-488-3300; arenastage.org |
Nat’s sister, Lily (Kimberly Schraf) lives with the family. For years she has spurned the advances of Essie’s brother, Sid (Jonathan Fried) because he drinks and gambles. And there is a young woman named Muriel (June Schreiner) with whom Richard is in love.
The play is primarily an opportunity for O’Neill to explore family dynamics, revealing how people navigate the spaces between themselves when in tight familial waters. Only two scenes happen outside the safety of the Miller home: one is in a bar, where Richard goes in anger believing that Muriel has scorned him; the other is on the beach, where Richard and Muriel meet and express their undying love.
As directed by Kyle Donnelly, this “Ah, Wilderness!” is played for laughs, yet Donnelly keeps a tight reign on the comedy so that none of the characters disappear into caricatures.
The cast of this production is superb. Riley is particularly good as the idealistic, literature-spouting Richard. Foucheux and Robinette deserve credit for their portrayals of parents who grow, becoming flexible enough to learn from their children.
O’Neill subtitled “Ah, Wilderness!” a “nostalgic comedy” and intended to celebrate the absurdities and values of the turn of the century. Arena has honored O’Neill’s wishes, producing a sensitive tribute to young and middle-aged love and to a beautiful, bygone era.
