By Kerry Clawson

Beacon Journal Staff Writer

(Published on Monday, April. 21, 2008)

Who among us hasn't longed for sun-soaked days and romance at some point in our lives? In the romantic comedy Enchanted April, four desperately lonely British women yearn for just that to escape the grayness of their lives.

This lovely piece, which debuted on Broadway in 2003, achieves moments of deliciousness at Weathervane Community Playhouse, under the direction of Bob Belfance. This play of two worlds is set in 1922 London as well as in Mezzago, Italy.

Belfance has taken great care to create the heavenly world of Mezzago, where the repressed Lotty and three female cohorts escape to to find peace and sunshine.

The transformation from the sterile London set in the first act to the flowering Italian castle for the second act is breathtaking, as it should be.

Master gardener Judy Willemsen has created a terraced garden resplendent with flowers for audiences to feast their eyes on. The gardens are like a ninth character in this play, whose story is about unlocking the beauty within oneself to discover or rediscover love.

Original music by University of Akron student James Praznik also is used in the second act to underscore the vast difference between the play's two worlds.

In 2004, Northeast Ohio audiences were treated to a beautifully nuanced production of the play at Cleveland Play House directed by the original Broadway director, Michael Wilson. At Weathervane, the acting is uneven but the spirit of Enchanted April is intact.

Main character Lotty — kept on a tight leash by her domineering husband — has been holding her breath her whole life, waiting for enchantment. In talented actress Tori MacNair's hands, it's gratifying to see her radiant Lotty finally let her hair down.

The irrepressible Lotty comes up with the wild scheme for a getaway to the sunshine and wisteria of the Italian seaside, roping the hesitant Rose in on her plan.

They advertise for two other female companions — widow Mrs. Graves and socialite Lady Caroline Bramble — to share their expenses.

Varying characters

Perhaps the most difficult character to develop in Enchanted April is that of Rose, the nervously religious woman who hides a deep pain. Holly Humes' characterization of Rose comes across as more surface-level sour grapes than one of deeply simmering sadness.

Humes switches gears from Rose's Puritan extreme to her much softer extreme without showing much range of emotion in between, hampering our ability to empathize with Rose as she blooms.

At Weathervane, we're also not able to feel for Lady Caroline as much as we should: Emily West paints a woman who's snotty to the extreme rather than a vulnerable creature hiding behind her worldly allure.

On the other hand, Carol Belfance, the director's wife, is pitch-perfect as Mrs. Graves, the imperious yet ultimately kind-hearted widow. Her interaction with sassy Italian servant Constanza, portrayed by the comical Harriet DeVeto, is fun.

Costume choices

Some of the costumes in this production are an unbecoming puzzle, namely Humes' ill-fitting numbers and others for both Rose and Lotty that are ugly modern-day dresses with low sashes slapped on them. Yet Lady Caroline's robin egg blue and white dresses are both gorgeous and period appropriate.

The men are secondary in this story. But Henry Bishop, whose blustering character Mellersh experiences an unusual accident, creates one of the play's most sweetly funny moments that illustrates how beautifully the women have come into their own in heavenly Italy.

_______________________________________________ Staff writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail at kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

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