|
The Chalk Garden |
What to do with a 16-year-old girl who enjoys setting bonfires, telling outrageous lies, and reading about trials of murderers?
"Indulge her," coos the girl's aristocratic grandmother, whose main concern is tending her garden (poorly) and pacifying a tyrannical butler, Pinkbell (also poorly).
"Put up with her," says the overworked manservant, who shares the girl's interest in famous murder trials.
"Love her," says her absentee mother, who is trying to wrest custody of the girl back from the domineering grandmother.
Into this 1951 British household comes a laconic and mysterious woman abruptly hired, without references, as companion to the girl. Miss Madrigal sees in Laurel a parallel of her own angry teenage self. She knows she can, if she chooses, help Mrs. St. Maugham, the ditzy grandmother, with both the garden and the girl.
Enid Bagnold, best known as the author of National Velvet, scored a hit in both the West End and Broadway with this British "dramody," which was filmed with Deborah Kerr as the governess, Miss Madrigal, and Hayley Mills as the attention-seeking teenager, Laurel.
TCTC newcomer Brooke Elliott of Tyler will play Laurel in the approaching production, matching wits with Kimberlee Martin of Lindale as the unflappable Miss Madrigal. Ray Deal of Chandler will be seen as Maitland, the frantic servant, with Frances Whiteside of Whitehouse as the grandmother unable to raise properly neither flowers nor children. Jenny Robertson of Tyler, also a newcomer, will play Olivia, mother of the sly Laurel and daughter to Mrs. St. Maugham. Both Brooke and Jenny are products of the theater department at Good Shepherd School, where they are in high school.
Entering the scene will be a luncheon guest, known only as the Judge, who, it develops, played a significant part in the pasts of both Mrs. St. Maugham and Miss Madrigal. Richard York of Tyler, recently a reader in The Big Read's The Grapes of Wrath, will take this role. Deborah Crawford of Tyler will be seen as a timid applicant as companion to the terrifying Laurel, with Kayla Belk of Tyler as the nurse attending the equally terrifying Pinkbell.
Justin Purser of Lindale and Hunter Regian of Tyler will share the duties of stage manager, with Roxanne Apolskis, Hannah Morris, Amanda Munns, all of Tyler, in charge of props. Pat Grubbs and Judy Watson, both of Tyler, are the producers.
The play opens March 19 for an eight-performance run. It is the fifth play of the 2009/2010 Braithwaite Theatre season.
