My third and final show at this season's Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake is one I perhaps subconsciously chose knowing Sophie would have certainly chosen this one to see. I don't think she would have been disappointed.
British playwright, actress, novelist, journalist and suffragist Cecily Hamilton's play Just to Get Married opened in August at the cozy Royal George Theatre, and it falls right in with the Shaw's mandate at one time to produce plays either written by or about G. B. Shaw's time period, which pretty much covers much of the last part of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.
This now-rarely produced play was last revived in 2017 by London's Finborough Theatre with the only other revival back in 1918 in London. The first production was also in London in 1910. So it's safe to say most contemporary audience members have not seen nor even likely heard of the play. More's the pity, as it is a bit of a period gem, with a warning here about a rather unusual ending.
Hamilton injects the play with just enough humour to make the overall theme of women having to marry well in order to have a decent life palatable enough for audiences of her era to accept. She gets the point across without sticking it to those in society who would feel a woman's place is not in the workforce with too much vitriol.
The main thrust of Hamilton's play is to expose the grim reality of women of the era who were expected to marry early and well, thus ensuring they would avoid the supposed embarrassment of "spinsterhood" and risk an unsure financial future. Sadly this would have been the norm early in the last century as most work would be considered "too much" for the "delicate" ladies of the era.
Enter into this mindset the lead character in Just to Get Married, Georgiana Vicary, who at 29 is staring that spinsterhood straight ahead unless she can snag a man willing to marry her. She has her heart set on a worthy candidate, exceedingly shy Adam Lankester, just back in England after doing so-called "man's work" in the New World. If only Adam could find the courage to see the possibilities and propose marriage...
He does, of course, in a flurry of conversation during the latter half of the First Act, and Georgiana readily accepts. But alas, it is not to be a marriage based on love. She tells Adam as much when she exclaims in the Second Act "I accepted you just because there was no one else." Ouch.
To younger audience members today the mere thought of marrying without the benefit of love seems so, well, odd they could not conceive of such a thing. Turns out neither can Georgiana. In that Second Act she decides marrying Adam would basically mean she'd be living a lie, and why would she do that? A marriage that is not of equals goes against her principles and as such, she garners plenty of support from the audience for saying so.
As much sympathy as she receives from the audience for being so honest and forthright with Adam, it is almost squandered in the final moments of the Second Act when, soaking wet at the train station waiting for a train to take her away from this misery, she runs into Adam and they have a talk. The result is what can only be described as a "happy ending" to a play exposing the grim reality women faced from that era. It won't sit well with many I suspect, and although it would not have been my choice of an ending I do realize the era in which Hamilton was writing the play and the audience she was writing for. In that sense it is very much a period piece and you have to accept it for being so.
This production at the Shaw Festival does the play proud for the most part, with standout performances from most of the cast. Unfortunately as has been the case with every play I have seen this season there have been substitutions to lead roles and although the understudies clearly make the part their own, I would have loved to have seen Kristi Frank portray Georgiana Vicary as planned, as she is one of the bright lights at the Shaw these days.
Not taking anything away from Katherine Gauthier mind you, who usually plays the role of Bertha Grayle when Frank plays Georgiana, and did an admirable job in the substitute role. In her place as Bertha, Allison McCaughley does a fine job.
Adam Lankester is played with studied awkwardness by Kristopher Bowman, and he fits the mould of a sturdy, reliable man to have as a husband, should the woman wish it. Problem is, this woman didn't initially. Oh well...he proves in the end to be a worthy partner in spite of it all.
The rest of the cast, in spite of the requisite shuffling of the members all do well here, with Claire Jullien as Lady Catherine Grayle being particularly stately, and substitute Nathaniel Judah enjoyable as the put-upon Sir Theodore Grayle.
Direction is sure and taught from Severn Thompson and Ming Wong's costumes are spot-on for the time period. I wasn't totally taken with the original music provided by Thomas Ryder Payne but perhaps that's just me.
Overall, Just to Get Married is an enjoyable escape at Shaw this season, just be advised the ending might perplex you a bit. It runs at the Royal George Theatre until October 16th and rates a respectable 2 out of 4 stars.
For more information on the Shaw season go to www.shawfest.com.
Have a great holiday weekend!
September 3rd, 2022.
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