If you’re thinking of avoiding “Life With Father” at the American Century Theater because it’s a creaky, old-fashioned play about the end of the 19th century, think again.
It’s a delightful creaky, old-fashioned play about the end of the 19th century. And it ought to be seen more often.
“Life With Father,” by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, has a simple plot: It follows the Day family from breakfast on a summer morning in 1892 until a month later, documenting their familial squabbles, frustrations and delights.
But the plot is not what has made “Life With Father” so popular historically. It’s the characters, including four sons, two guests and many maids. Mrs. Day is a delightful screwball whose misunderstanding of math allows her to calculate the household accounts to her profit. And Mr. Day is a lovable grouch, a cantankerous pater familias who controls his castle with a firm hand.
The joke is that Mr. Day controls nothing. It’s Mrs. Day who rules the roost, keeps the boys in line, hires the maids and gets everyone to church on time. In this production, Deborah Critzer plays that crucial role well, emphasizing the scatterbrained side of Mrs. Day’s nature. Her sons Clarence (Karl Bittner), John (Billy Puschel), Whitney (Paul Hogan) and Harlan (Scott Clark) are neatly differentiated by director Rip Claassen.
Houseguests Cora (Sarah Holt) and Mary Skinner (Megan Graves) deftly swoop in, turning the Day home upside down. The curious thing about this production is that Mr. Day (Joe Cronin), who should be a combination of bluster and good humor, is rather one-sided, more angry than pompous. Cronin gets the swearing right but lacks the dimension of buffoonery that has traditionally made Clarence Day so beloved.
The set, by Trena Weiss-Null, is a convincing re-creation of a 19th-century drawing room. Ceci Albert’s costumes — especially Cora’s purple hat with a spray of eucalyptus — are charming.
“Life With Father” was the inspiration for many descendants, from “Father Knows Best” to “I Love Lucy,” and American Century Theater deserves applause for bringing it back to life.
If you go
‘Life With Father’
Where: American Century Theater, Gunston Theatre II, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington
When: 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; through Dec. 6, the run resumes Jan. 9 to 24
Info: Pay-what-you-can performances: 8 p.m. Jan. 14 and 21; 703-998-4555; americancentury.org
