REVIEW: 'Voysey' is a well-produced, if tame, morality play

By PAM KRAGEN - Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 16, 2008 5:52 PM PDT ∞

It's not surprising that David Mamet found Harley Granville-Barker's 1905 drama "The Voysey Inheritance" an interesting vehicle for adaptation.

The talky English drama deals with the same issues of money, greed and moral bankruptcy as Mamet's own "Glengarry Glen Ross," and the embezzling subject matter could be ripped from today's headlines.

To make the century-old drama more palatable to modern audiences and less expensive to produce, Mamet trimmed Granville-Barker's five-act play to two, eliminated characters and trimmed the running time by half. What's left is a somewhat interesting but fairly static and dated period piece that's nonetheless well-produced in its San Diego premiere at Lamb's Players Theatre.

Lamb's has scored in the past with large-cast period dramas like "Detective Story" and "The Winslow Boy." But "Voysey" feels trapped in its time and simply isn't as compelling a story as its predecessors. The cast gives its earnest best, and Jeanne Reith's lush costumes and Robert Smyth's evocative picture frame set are a big plus, but "Voysey" is more mild than magic in the end.

Set in the library of a luxurious English country home, the play follows the two-year decline of the prosperous Voysey family from 1906 to 1908. As the play opens, Edward Voysey has discovered that his father and business partner, Mr. Voysey, has nearly emptied the trust funds of all the clients of their family-run law practice.

Voysey has used the money to support his family's lavish lifestyle and has hidden the scheme by paying clients their usual monthly interest and putting the rest into high-risk investments to achieve a higher return.

To Edward's horror, his proud father unashamedly confesses the crime and says it's a business model he inherited from his own father and will pass on, upon his own death, to Edward. With an indifference born from years of criminal activity, Mr. Voysey says he has told "no unnecessary lies" to his clients and can't understand why Edward can't see "beyond the letter of the law."

Cut to scene two (with gloomy rainstorm and black mourning draperies) and Mr. Voysey has died, leaving Edward to clean up the mess his father and grandfather have left behind.

Hours after the funeral, Edward tells his disbelieving and selfish siblings the truth and ultimately decides to keep the scheme a secret so that over time, he can gradually replenish the customers' accounts by reducing the family's circumstances.

All goes well for a year until the firm's wealthiest client, Mr. Booth --- the late Mr. Voysey's best friend ---- uncovers the truth and (with the town vicar) offers a self-serving, profit-making deal in exchange for his silence.

If this seems a longish explanation of the plot, you can see Mamet's challenge as an adapter: how to explain the convoluted financial details and still keep the story interesting, the characters well-rounded and the pacing smooth. It's a big task he handles mostly well, but in the end one wonders why he went to all the trouble. It's a story that's been told before, often better; and the shaved-down characters are in many cases only one-dimensional stereotypes ---- the spoiled, materialistic daughter, Ethel; the tortured artist son, Hugh; and the blustery conservative military braggart, Major Booth.

Gilmour Smyth's cast ---- a mix of Lamb's ensemble members and other regulars ---- do a good enough job with their roles, some of them particularly well. Among the best are Michael Harvey as the self-righteous client George Booth, who calls his deal for silence a "Christian" bargain; Ralph Johnson in his best performance to date as the indignant, sleazy, on-the-take clerk Peacey; Jon Lorenz as the eternally suffering Edward; Jim Chovick as the peacock-proud Mr. Voysey; and Jason Heil as the bombastic and none-too-bright Major Booth.

While big-cast period dramas are among the things that Lamb's ensemble does best, "The Voysey Inheritance" is a curious choice. In the program notes, Lamb's Producing Artistic Director Robert Smyth said the company likes reviving forgotten gems of the past, but one wonders if there aren't some other theatrical jewels that would sparkle a bit more under Lamb's velvet touch.

"Voysey Inheritance"

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; through May 18

Where: Lamb's Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado

Tickets: $24-$56

Phone: (619) 437-0600

Web: www.lambsplayers.org

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