Who knew a play about a stamp could be so riveting?! Of course, the 2007 Broadway play
Mauritius by Theresa Rebeck (who also wrote
Bernhardt/Hamlet, produced by Theatre Pro Rata last year) is about much more than stamps and the cut-throat world of
philately. It's about grief, and family dynamics, and the way death can bring out the worst in people, and grifters trying to make a buck off of someone else's grief. It's kind of a mystery dramedy thriller of a play, brought to life in an excellent production by Stage North. They've unfortunately moved out of their original home the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis and into a new space known as 480 Arts in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood. I can't imagine this work on the Capri's stage in their proscenium theater, it's so much more suited to this intimate in-the-round staging (although the Capri also has a black box space where Ten Thousand Things regularly performs). The talented five-person cast, clear and smart direction, and almost immersive staging make for a very entertaining evening of theater.
Mauritius plays Thursdays through Sundays until November 17.
For those of you about to google the title, let me save you the trouble. Mauritius is an island nation in Africa, east of Madagascar, which like much of the area has a long history of colonialism and slavery (this play is educational about geography and history in addition to philately). The title refers to a stamp that was printed here in the mid 19th Century that is now one of the most rare and valuable stamps in the world. Now, I don't know anything about stamp collecting and don't really get it, but this play makes it sound fascinating! Our story begins when Jackie brings a book of stamps that was in her recently deceased mother's possession into a stamp store owned by Phil, looking for information on its value. Phil's a bit crotchety, and annoyed by all of the people wanting him to look at stamps that turn out to be nothing. But Dennis, a failed philatelist who's hanging out in the store, offers to look at the book. Turns out it's not just out of the kindness of his heart; he's hoping to make a big score with the help of his rich stamp collector friend Sterling, who makes stamp collecting look like the mob in his fancy suits, toting a gun and a suitcase full of money. But Jackie is smarter and tougher than she looks, and will not be taken advantage of so easily, at least not without first getting what she wants. Complicating matters is Jackie's half-sister Mary, who believes the stamps are hers because they came from her paternal grandfather, even though she left the family after their mother married Jackie's father (with a dark past not fully explored) and didn't even come back when their mother was dying. This is all to set up a situation that's complicated on many levels, and each of these five people has a particular agenda in this deal and will seemingly do whatever it takes to accomplish it. None of these people are very likeable, they all do ugly things to get what they want, but they're a lot of fun to watch and maybe even a little relatable at times.
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Peter Moore, Bonnie Allen, Corey DiNardo, Sarah Dickson,
and Bill Schoppert (photo courtesy of Stage North) |
Stage North's Artistic Director Peter Moor directs the play with clarity and momentum, and a building feeling of tension, while allowing space for the dark humor of the piece to come through. He also plays the role of Sterling as a smarmy menacing presence. Veteran actor Bill Schoppert is a loveable grump as Phil, until he makes some not so great choices too. Bonni Allen is the prim and proper Mary, hiding a darker side as well. Corey DiNardo is the charming Dennis you want to trust, until he too reveals his selfish schemes. But the breakout star of this across-the-board strong cast is Sarah Dickson as Jackie (and I'm not just saying that because she kindly let me back into the building when I left the theater via a door marked exit and found myself trapped in a gated lot). She's so natural and believable in playing a roller coaster of emotions as the grief-ridden Jackie, who is so determined to get her life back in control by selling these stamps. She acts tough and confident, but you can see in her eyes and the slight tremor of fear that she's terrified and in over her head. Jackie is the closest thing to a sympathetic character in this story, much of it due to Sarah's performance.
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Dennis (Corey DiNardo) points out a stamp to Jackie (Sarah Dickson)
while Phil (Bill Schoppert) looks on (photo courtesy of Stage North) |
This was my first visit to
480 Arts (not to be confused with
825 Arts just a few miles away), which I gather is also a music venue by the gorgeous array of stringed instruments hanging on the wall in the lobby. It's also a great theater venue, with a black box space set up in the Ten Thousand Things way - a square performance space surrounded on all sides by two rows of chairs. But unlike TTT they don't perform with "all the lights on;" just the square is lit with darkness around it, which still allows us to see the rest of the audience and the actors to see all of us, creating an intimate feeling as if we're watching these real conversations play out in front of us. Scenes breaks are marked by a brief blackout followed by dim lighting for rearranging the three or four blocks decorated with large stamps that serve as the set pieces. Multiple stamp books are placed around the space, and the book in question looks pretty realistic from our close-up view (set design by Rick Polonek, set and props design by Rick Polonek and Tonie Solie, lighting design by Brian Haase). There's no costume designer listed, but the costumes tell us who these people are, from Phil's cardigan sweater to Sterling's slick suit to Jackie's casual wear, donning a blazer to impress for the big deal.
If you think stamp collecting is boring and nerdy, this play will make you think again! As told by Theresa Rebeck and this talented cast and creative team, it's a mean and nasty business. And also highly entertaining.
See Mauritius at 480 Arts through November 17.
