THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
by Philip Barry
Directed by Spiro Veloudos
Semel Theater
- Thursday, February 28 8pm
- Friday, February 29 8pm
- Saturday, March 1 2pm ***Talkback following the performance***
- Saturday, March 1 8pm
The convergence of fame, fortune, scandal and relationships lead to Tracy Lord’s discovery that marriage is not only at the convenience of the married but is truly a partnership of minds.
Spiro Veloudos, Emerson alum and Artistic Director of the Lyric Stage Company of Boston will direct this classic American comedy.
Spiro Veloudos Director
Andrew Michaelson Stage Manager
Nick Renaud Scenic Designer
Garrett Herzig Lighting Designer
Thalia Cronander Costume Designer
Alex Brandt Sound Designer
Hannah Borkowski Dramaturg
CAST:
Lexie Frare Dinah Lord
Greg Kanter George Kittredge
Matt Arnold Seth Lord
Sasha Castroverde Tracy Lord
Caitlin McMahon Margaret Lord
Mark Cramer Sandy Lord
Patrick DeNicola Uncle Willie
Dan Perrault Mike Connor
Jordan Kai Burnett Liz Imbrie
Grant MacDermott C.K. Dexter Haven
Terry Torres Thomas/Mac
Interview with Spiro Veloudos
Spiro Veloudos is one of Boston’s most accomplished and celebrated directors. A graduate of Emerson College, Spiro has been the Producing Artistic Director of Lyric Stage of Boston for the past ten years. He has directed over 95 productions throughout New England winning numerous awards including a Stage Source Theatre Hero Award and numerous Elliot Norton and Independent Reviews of New England awards. We took a moment to interview Spiro about his production of The Philadelphia Story running at Emerson Stage February 28 to March 1.
What attracted you to direct The Philadelphia Story?
SV: It is a play that has always been on my short list of plays that I have wanted to direct. I love working in comedy and with plays of the 30's so I guess it was a natural fit. In addition, I find the characters in the play, who on the surface seem insubstantial, very complex and deep. The relationship of Tracy and Dexter is so very complex. Why does she originally marry him? Why does she divorce him and subsequently, Why does she re-marry him? I just find this play continually fascinating. Phillip Barry's dialogue also makes for interesting sparks.
Is there a reason you wanted to direct this show at Emerson as opposed to a professional theatre?
SV: Not really. I wanted to program it at the Lyric Stage Company (where I am the Producing Artistic Director) several years ago, but the physical restraints of the space and the requirements of doing it in a high style made it impossible for that production. I also think that as a learning experience young actors don't always get the chance to work in American Comedies of Manners and The Philadelphia Story is the best of them.
How would you describe your artistic vision for the piece?
SV: The Philadelphia Story is so totally ensconced in its period that ANY artistic vision needs to be driven by that. My intent artistically is to put the audience in the period of the play as much as possible. This extends to all aspects of it. The acting, set, dressings, props, costumes, lighting and sound must absolutely be of the period. Even the scene changes will be done in costume and choreographed so that the audience never feels that we have come back to 2008.
Is there any aspect of the show that you find to be particularly timely or something that you hope the audiences will derive from your production?
SV: I think that the social interactions of human beings are always timely. Whether we are looking at marriage, divorce, tabloid journalism (as it relates to celebrity) and the interaction of parents and children gives this particular story a timeliness. The Comedy of Manners as a genre depends upon the foibles of characters and on situational humor (misunderstandings, identity switches, revelations of double lives to name a few) and because of that the characters have an ongoing timeliness because we can recognize aspects of ourselves in them.
SV: The short answer to that question is there should not be a difference. However, at Emerson the actors, designers and show staff are, for the most part, still students. They are still learning their craft, so that there must be a component of education in the midst of the production. Certainly in the professional world that is not necessarily so (although I think that many professionals can still be honing their craft). It is my intent to give the company of The Philadelphia Story the most professional of experiences while adding to their overall education.
Interview by Christopher McCoy
Dramaturgical Information
by Hannah Borkowski
Philip Barry’s The Philadelphia Story is simply titled but heavily loaded. It is the tale of Tracy Lord, a Philadelphia society woman on the verge of her second marriage. Tracy’s plans to marry the rich and agreeable George Kittredge are somewhat derailed, however, when a pair from Spy magazine, including the cynical but sensitive writer Mike Connor, arrives to cover her wedding in an attempt to penetrate and pick apart the inner workings of Philadelphia’s Main Line aristocracy. Already under a personal microscope, Tracy must further deal with her ex-husband, C.K. Dexter Haven, as he slinks and hangs about the hectic Lord household, never letting Tracy forget that he remains a powerful force within her life. Throughout the play, Tracy deals with men that are persistent, complacent, skeptical, and remorseful, but Tracy’s resolution does not come from finally figuring out others; it comes from finally figuring out herself. The Philadelphia Story is a remarriage comedy, a romantic comedy, and a 20th century comedy of manners. However, no turn of phrase can categorize the humanity pulsing throughout each of Barry’s vibrant scenes and sharp lines of dialogue.
Philip Barry once said: “Love is two minds without a single thought.” The Philadelphia Story is a play that shows that sometimes the last thing we need to think too hard about is love.
The Main Line
“In Boston they ask how much does he know. In New York, how much is he worth. In Philadelphia, who were his parents.” – Mark Twain
Although many storytellers use location as nothing more than a geographic point of reference, Philip Barry chose the environment of The Philadelphia Story with the knowledge that the Main Line would prove to be an incredibly rich character within the play. The turmoil of the Lord family in dealing with the head of household’s extra-marital affair is not just a fleeting scandal; it is a permanent stain on the unblemished reputation of a respected family.
Located just to the west of the City of Brotherly Love, the Main Line is a suburban cluster of towns that takes its moniker directly from the railroad that once passed through its land. The Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was implemented during the industrial boom of the 19th century. As the Railroad owned much of the land surrounding the tracks, it was able to sell the beautiful landscape as vast estates to members of the Philadelphia elite.
As early as the 18th century, Philadelphia had developed its own unique upper class society. Just as Mark Twain’s quote bluntly illustrates, a Philadelphian’s reputation began before birth. The Main Line society was built on a cornerstone of families that could follow their genealogical history back to the earliest Quaker settlers. Though a self-made man was to be respected, inheritance was prized above all in a community where exclusivity was just that: entirely exclusive.
Philip Barry
The best social commentary is born out of a wealth of experience and Philip Barry had an incredible amount of experience with the wealthy.
Born on June 18, 1896 in Rochester, New York, Barry was privileged from an early age, but did not let his mind or his critical eye go to waste as a result. He began writing at the age of nine and eventually attended Yale University, further pursuing his literary interest by contributing to many on-campus publications, as well as writing a one-act for the drama club.
Barry was raised on a sizable inheritance that was left to his family after his father’s early death. Much like many mid-20th century high society families that canoodled within their own circles, Barry married his childhood sweetheart, also from a wealthy family, and they proved to be a fiscal force to be reckoned with. The Barry’s divided their time between an apartment in Manhattan, a Mount Kisco cottage given to Barry by his father-in-law, and a villa in Cannes, France, where the couple entertained the likes of the Fitzgeralds and the Hemingways.
Though the gap between the lower and upper classes has hardly been as immense as it was in the midst of Great Depression America, Barry avoided the delusion that can come with financial luxury, especially during times of economic crisis. Though Barry satirizes in his writing, he does not judge and though he points to the ridiculousness of everyday human behavior, he does not let his audience forget that we are all subject to that very absurdity.
Barry wrote over 20 plays, including Paris Bound (1927), John (1927), Holiday (1928), Liberty Jones (1941), Without Love (1942), and Foolish Notion (1945). Though many of Barry’s plays are punctuated by the clink of a champagne glass, they all find a way to dig deep into the class-transcending issue of what makes us all human.
Production History
To say The Philadelphia Story saved Katherine Hepburn’s career is not an exaggeration. By the late 30’s, Hepburn sat atop the list of actors that had been blacklisted by Hollywood producers as “box office poison.” With a string of cinematic flops to her name, Hepburn could not deny that her career had begun to look bleak. However, not all had lost faith in Hepburn and her talent. There was a playwright shining at the end of Hepburn’s professional slump and his name was Philip Barry.
Barry had written The Philadelphia Story with Hepburn exclusively in mind for the role of Tracy Lord and to his delight, Hepburn agreed that the role was just for her. It was not long before the fading starlet had brightened to rave reviews after the play opened on Broadway in 1939.
With the help of close friend and fellow opportunist Howard Hughes, Hepburn soon acquired the rights to The Philadelphia Story and was cast yet again as the strong female lead, this time on screen beside Cary Grant and James Stewart. The film version of The Philadelphia Story was released in 1940 and $1.3 million in record-breaking profits, 6 Oscar nominations, 2 Oscar wins (including Best Actor to Stewart), and several critical nods as one of the best films of the 20th century later, The Philadelphia Story has found its rightful place as one of the most significant tales of the politics and passion of American life.
Sources
Avery, Ron. A Concise History of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Otis Books, 1999.
Burt, Nathaniel. The Perennial Philadelphians: the Anatomy of an American Aristocracy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania P, 1999.
Irvine, Ian. "The Real Philadelphia Story." Sunday Telegraph 15 Apr. 1995.
"Philip Barry Papers: Collection Description." Georgetown University. Jan. 2008 <http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/cl128.htm>.
Don't miss The Philadelphia Story playing in the Semel Theater February 28 through March 1 at 8:00 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $14 for the general public or $8 for the Emerson Community. For ticket information contact the Tufte PPC Box Office at 617-824-8369 or www.ticketweb.com.
