Kelly Howe, Joe Hanrahan, and Colleen Backer in Old Times. Photo courtesy of The Midnight Company.
A converted farmhouse. Autumn. Night.
The story begins in a living room. Kate (Colleen Backer) is sitting on the sofa; her husband, Deely (Joe Hanrahan), is some distance away in an armchair. He’s grilling Kate about her old friend, Anna (Kelly Howe), who will arrive any minute. Anna once lived with Kate and was her only friend. Oddly, Kate has never mentioned Anna before. As Deely peppers Kate with questions, it becomes unclear how well the couple even knows each other.
The play’s title conjures up feelings of nostalgia and rose-tinted visions of the past, but its story is anything but cheery or simple. According to Hanrahan (who is also creative director for Midnight Theater Company): “Old Times is the story of a man who’s jealous of his wife… and those feelings are barely hidden under some strange dialogue. Nobody uses language quite like Pinter.”
Old Times was written by British postmodern playwright Harold Pinter. His best-known works include The Birthday Party (1957) and his screenplay for the film The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981). Pinter is famous for simmering psychodramas and experiments with perspective and language. From political thrillers to domestic dramas, Pinter’s characters often conceal their true intentions beneath seemingly banal and non-sequitur dialogue. The unreliability and corruptibility of memory is a recurring theme.
In Old Times, what begins as a domestic drama morphs into a metaphysical journey. Kate, Deely, and Anna carry on with a quiet desperation that is quintessentially British. It’s only a matter of time until that pressure is released.
The premise of Old Times is easy to understand, but the narrative takes some surreal detours. Audiences may be bemused by speeches on the proper way to dry after a bath, or questions like “who wore whose underwear, and when?” The subtext is clear enough: there is some distrust between Anna and Deely and some erotic tension between all three characters. Deely and Anna compete for Kate’s attention and affection, but Kate is unwilling or unable to make the connection they both desire.
At one point, Anna and Deely try to kickstart Kate’s memory with oldies, trading lines from “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” A recording of the Gershwin chestnut is also heard at the beginning of the play and it makes for a great leitmotif. The play’s characters are fixated on seemingly trivial details from the past, like the time they saw 1947 thriller Odd Man Out; but as the story unfolds, they seem unsure of who they are, how they know each other, if they know each other. The musical interlude also plays to the strengths of Hanrahan and Howe, who both perform in cabaret shows.
This is director Sarah Lynne Holt’s fifth show with Midnight Theater Company. She reflects on the message and meaning of Old Times:
“We’ve all had the experience of harkening back to a crystal clear memory…only to find someone who shares it thinks the details were totally different. Or maybe they don’t think we were there at all. With Old Times, Pinter not only takes us on a trip through the characters’ shared past (which might not be so shared after all), but asks the question, ‘If the past is so uncertain, are we really any more certain of the present?’ Just like when reminiscing, I hope people can leave this production debating what really happened. And I sort of hope they don’t find it too easy to agree…”
Old Times will be performed at the Chapel on 6238 Alexander Dr. The venue is located on the grounds of Memorial Presbyterian Church and it perfectly suits the play. The actors seem uncomfortably close on the small stage and the audience is mere inches away. The actors’ strong deliveries are enhanced by the churchlike acoustics of the small space. The blue-red stained glass windows also lend a certain beauty and profundity to the event.
Old Times runs from July 11 to July 27, with evening performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM. There are also Sunday matinees (2 PM) on July 14 and July 21. Tickets are $25 each ($20 for Thursday shows) and can be purchased at MetroTix.com. | Rob Von Nordheim
