Publisher: Elizabeth Hurd

“The Girl With the Green Eyes” Leaves Audience Seeing Red

Peter Fischaber as Groom Jack Austin and Jillian Wheeler as Bride Jinny Austin (the girl with green eyes) Photo courtesy of April Porterfield

“The Girl with the Green Eyes” by Clyde Fitch, a popular playwright from the late 1800’s through the early decades of the 20th century is being presented at 3rd Act Theatre.  Although Fitch has largely been forgotten he was the genius of his time…the Edwardian period.  “The Girl with the Green Eyes” is directed by Kate Adams who also has undertaken the adaptation of the play.  The playwright and, of course, the play quite naturally reflect their time; Edwardian.  The subject of the play is current, it is jealousy.   Yes,  she is jealous and over-emotional as written, but she deserves an answer and doesn’t get one.  The adaptation modernizes everything but the attitudes remain Edwardian and the combination doesn’t work.

Jillian Wheeler plays Jinny Austin with considerable restraint.  Peter Fischaber plays husband, Jack Austin rather histrionically, although the characters seem more suited to the opposite emotion.  Kate Adams has done a fair job of updating the play, but her actors need more direction.  Jealousy is not a dated emotion, but the attitudes and the behavior of the characters are.  The play would have been very relatable had it been left in its time.

Elizabeth Garrison is Mrs. Tillman, mother of the young bride, Jinny, and Doug Carlton is Mr. Tillman, the father.  Tyler John Malinauskas is Geoff Tillman the brother, a young man with the sense of a goose and the courage of a duck.  Kendra Michal Johnson is Maggie, Jinny’s friend and Lexi Sendall is Ruth Chester, Jinny’s ‘frenemy” as moderns would phrase things.  Lana Henson is Mrs. Cullingham, a friend of the family, and Izabella Stout and Maddie Wall are Grace and Belle, Jinny’s two bridesmaids.

This melodramatic group displays a roughness in timing that makes the action harder to follow. There appears to be little understanding of the characters by any of the characters as a group, even though there are flashes of it individually.  As a result, the action doesn’t quite work, although this may be simply because they are under-rehearsed. 

Jillian Wheeler plays Jinny Austin with considerable restraint.  Peter Fischaber plays husband, Jack Austin rather histrionically, although the characters seem more suited to the opposite emotion.  Kate Adams has done a fair job of updating the play, but her actors need more direction.  Jealousy is not a dated emotion, but the attitudes and the behavior of the characters are.  The play would have been very relatable had it been left in its time. The play would be well worth seeing done as a period piece.  An adaptation that would make the play sensible today would  likely require such a re-write, that it would be easier just to start over with a new play. 

Christine Jolly stage manages  and the crew does a credible job with all the technical aspects of the show make the production work in spite of the difficulties.  It is commonly the case that a flawed production improves greatly by the 2nd weekend, and if this cast, filled with talented actors make that happen, “The Girl with the Green Eyes” will be worth seeing…but I won’t get jealous!

The show runs through February 12 with an 8:00 pm curtain.  Sunday matinees are at 2:30 pm.  3rd Act Theatre is located in the Shoppes at Northpark Mall.   For information visit www.3rdActTheatreCo.com

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