Love Triangles are Never Easy

Politics and Religion

Passion and politics combine in George Bernard Shaw’s 1894 romantic comedy, Candida. It is a delightfully entertaining, subversive, and thoughtful foray into the hearts and minds of a disparate group of people connected by life circumstances.

Director Severn Thompson has set this production in a 1950s suburb of London, a time when women’s roles mirrored the Victorian age of Shaw’s time. Candida explores the intersection of Christian socialism, capitalism, marriage, gender roles, and the place of the poetic soul in the midst of it all.

An Awkward Day

Taking place in a single day, the Rev. James Morell and the teenage poet Eugene Marchbanks vie for the love of Morell’s beautiful, charming, motherly wife, Candida. The priest and the poet spar with each other in Candida’s absence, one steadfast in his beliefs about the role of women as helpmeets who need a husband’s protection, the other waxing poetic about freedom of spirit and the need for truth to soar above the mundane. Of course, neither bother to inquire of the object of their affections what she thinks of the whole business, until they do late in the evening. And boy, are they in for a surprise!

Sochi Fried is Candida in a seamless performance brimming with wit and confidence. She moves with deliberation and grace as she sets about her household chores, chastising Morell for letting the house go in her absence. She mothers Marchbanks, scolding and cajoling him, setting him to work at household projects. Ah, these men. Where would they be without her? Her depth becomes clear as the day progresses and Ms. Fried reveals the steel beneath the softness.

Sanjay Talwar is the Rev. James Morell, a man who has cruised through life. He is successful as a clergyman, sought after by the socialist movement as a speaker, and has a successful traditional marriage. Hmmm. Mr. Talwar also shows his temper when he is crossed, as a man used to having his way, and having those around him support his needs and desires.

Jonathan Sousa is Marchbanks. He is the shy and frightened son of an earl who has rejected him. Found out in the cold by Morell who brings him home, he falls madly in love with Candida. Mr. Sousa is all nerves. He fidgets and frets but never allows his tics and mannerisms to go over the edge into caricature. He never backs down in his arguments with Morell about what is important in life, and gives as good as he gets, until Morell turns to violence in his fury.

Along the way, we meet Morell’s secretary, Miss Prosperine Garnett, a very efficient, no nonsense woman who holds a secret in her heart. Played by Claire Jullien with sarcasm and withering stares at any kind of frivolity or rudeness, particularly toward the young curate, Rev. Lexy Mill, played with an awkward, yet endearing presence by Damien Atkins, and Mr. Burgess, Candida’s robber baron, er, captain of industry, father. Ric Reid is excellent as that gentleman, always looking out for the main chance, with facial expressions that tell stories all on their own. The fool vs. scoundrel scene between Morell and Burgess is a prime example of the wit and wisdom of Shaw, as Morell browbeats Burgess into admitting he is and always has been a scoundrel, while Morell himself is a fool.

Wit and Wisdom of Shaw

The drawing room, study, office set by Michelle Tracey is both beautiful and functional, including the child’s chair stage right that becomes an important element at the end of the play. Central on the upstage wall is a painting of the Virgin Mary, a gift from Marchbanks. She is being carried by angels into heaven, an apt metaphor for the beliefs men hold about women. Yes?

Candida at the Shaw shines in all aspects, particularly with its stellar acting. It is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.