Mildred Marie Langford, Frederick Stuart, Trisha Miller and Christian Henley star in in ANW’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.”. [Photo by Daniel Reichert]
This temporal tightrope walk, helmed by the directorial duet of Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott, chronicles the Antrobus family’s journey through 5,000 years of marital vicissitudes and global upheavals.
From glacial advances to diluvian disasters and martial maelstroms, this “epically funny” saga stands as a testament to humanity’s inexhaustible wellspring of resilience.
“It’s one of the most profound plays ever written about the human experience, and also one of the funniest,” Elliott said, his words a tantalizing amuse-bouche for the theatrical feast to come.
The co-artistic director rightly pointed out the rarity of dramatic works that are both Homeric in scope and Chaplinesque in their comedic virtuosity.
Rodriguez-Elliott describes the play as “a roadmap to survival” that resonates in our era of perpetual crises. Even so, it’s ironic, because “it’s incredibly optimistic, … it reminds us all that these are cycles we keep going through as human beings.”
The ensemble features Frederick Stuart and Trisha Miller as the evergreen George and Maggie Antrobus. Orbiting this central duo are Mildred Marie Langford as the eternal ingénue Gladys, Christian Henley as the mercurial Henry, and Ann Noble as Sabina, the family’s maid with a tongue as sharp as a stage dagger.
Wilder’s script and directions beguile and bemuse. The play’s temporal gymnastics, once a source of bafflement (as noted by the legendary Elia Kazan about the 1942 Broadway premiere), now seem to embody its enduring avant-garde spirit.
As the Antrobus clan weathers the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (with a pet dinosaur in tow, no less), audiences are invited to contemplate their own Sisyphean struggles.
In a world teetering on the brink of the next calamity, “The Skin of Our Teeth” serves as a timely reminder that humanity’s greatest trick has always been its knack for encore performances.
For tickets and more, visit https://www.anoisewithin.org/play/the-skin-of-our-teeth/
A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill Blvd. in East Pasadena. Call (626) 356-3100.
