Written by Alina Mae Wilson 

It isn’t a secret that watching or reading a story written in the vernacular of another time or place makes the comprehension of the said story more of a challenge.   It’s even possible it might be more difficult for the actors to memorize and improvise their lines when the characters they are portraying think and speak so differently than we do today. This difficulty makes successfully telling such a story to a modern-day audience so praiseworthy. Cal State Fullerton is commended for its well-acted, well-designed, and well-envisioned production of Jeffrey Hatcher’s comedy Smash (adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s novel An Unsocial Socialist).

Photo courtesy of Jordan Kubat

The year is 1910. The setting is Edwardian England. The show’s program says, “it is a time of exuberant optimism about changing the world, and romance of ideas is in the air.” A young man called Sidney Trefusis is gripped with some of his ideas on politics and morality, and so he leaves his beloved –hell-bent on taking down the capitalistic evil known as the British government.   His lonely wife, Henrietta, is left to recover from her abandonment in her way. Meanwhile, Sidney’s plot causes him to cross paths with a rebellious college student, Agatha Wylie.

From start to finish, the show is fascinating to watch. Its bright lighting and greenery convey the pleasant feel of a cheery garden exterior, and the visual sense of transportation isn’t hard to find. This arena theater holds the stage at the center, with the audience sitting in a circle around the performance. While unable to bear witness from every conceivable angle of the production, I can say that I felt separated from the action at no point from my seat. Even if one actor’s face is blocked, the person they are speaking to is definitively providing critical feedback regarding the scene’s emotional content. The movement between the actors is steady enough to avoid getting overly restless.  

Since so much of the comedy is embedded in the fast-paced dialogue between people from Edwardian England, I don’t think this show is suitable for kids or people who don’t have a lot of patience for lots of talk without a lot of physical activity. The punch lines’ speed is so rapid that it might be hard to digest one joke before getting slammed with another. However, the acting is strong here. With only a few line fumbles, the expressions and energy from the actors are enough to cause some chuckles on their own. I love the relationships between one person to the next, and the writing is excellent. While the plot is silly, unrealistic, and intentionally puffing itself up to prove a point, the cracks the characters take at each other carry all the spirit of every winning statement you have ever wanted to make in an argument but probably weren’t fortunate enough to think up at the time.   Even if things don’t always make sense (there is a moment with Miss Wilson that doesn’t have clear symbolism or cause, so…chalk it up to comedic license?), the feeling of the show is fun.

8/10

 Feb. 20 – March 15, 2015 

Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Hallberg Theatre

Tickets