Family Drama ‘Bette and Boo’ Hits Home

A baby being thrown to the floor, at the feet of aghast relatives: this image of violence is repeated several times as a symbol of the failure of family life in “The Marriage of Bette and Boo.”

As such a motif suggests, the first Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club (HRDC) Mainstage show of the year does not shirk from conflict in its portrayal of suburban life. Running until Oct. 28, “Bette and Boo” was written by Christopher F. Durang ’71. Produced by Aileen K. Robinson ’08, the play is directed by Visiting Director Marcus Stern, who staged the play several years earlier at the American Repetory Theatre.

“Bette and Boo” presents the story of a young couple in the 1950s and follows the breakdown of their idyllic marriage, as told by their adult son. In doing so, Durang comprehensively addresses his ideas on issues of alcoholism, the flaws and hypocrisy of Catholicism, and parental neglect.

However, unlike most of its predecessors in the Mainstage last year, this play focuses its drama squarely on intimate family life instead of broader societal themes. Correspondingly, “Bette and Boo” hits much closer to home for its audience, and with greater success. Although the play contains flaws of pacing and tone, it ultimately presents a powerful statement on the failings of family life—and its surprising strengths.

Laurel T. Holland ’06-’07 plays Bette, the eponymous bride, with appealing directness. Bette’s series of miscarriages defines the dramatic arc of the play. She yearns for the impossible ideal of a family life full of children—and in doing so ignores Skippy (Joshua M. Brener ’07), the one son she has. Holland portrays that dual personality with ease, presenting a fascinating ambiguity between childlike innocence and pathetic nagging.

Michael B. Hoagland ’07 brings a wealth of experience to the role of Boo; the HRDC Mainstage veteran does an excellent job of portraying Boo as a handsome face and little else. Plagued by his alcoholism and a verbally abusive father (Karl, played Benjamin K. Kawaller ’07), Boo is emotionally unavailable to his wife and son for most of the play.

Hoagland creates this blank image of a husband almost too well, to the point that Boo seems too flat to be human sometimes. He nonetheless plays the character with a supremely fitting self-assurance and smoothness.

Hasty Pudding veteran Brener is the real star of the show as Bette and Boo’s son Skippy, who also serves as the narrator of the play. Brener shows growth in Skippy’s character, which we don’t see as clearly in the rest of the cast, and does so with skill and subtlety.

At first, Brener’s narration seems over-serious and solemn. He references obscure literary texts in an attempt to distance himself from the problems of his family through logical analysis.

Yet eventually, as those attempts break down, Skippy accepts the weaknesses of his parents and comes to terms with their flaws. Brener’s sincerity in showing that transformation gives the play its emotional center.

The show is almost stolen by the supporting cast. Carolyn A. McCandlish ’07 deserves special mention here: her rendition of Bette’s sister Emily is the embodiment of Catholic guilt. Over-sensitive to and assuming responsibility for every family disturbance, McCandlish’s portrayal of Emily redefines the word “hysterical.”

McCandlish’s endless apologies and self-imposed punishments would be too over-the-top without the sarcastic ballast of the rest of the cast. As Boo’s father Karl, Kawaller injects “Bette and Boo” with snappy humor in his snide asides. In his turn as an irreverent Catholic priest, Father Donnally, Daniel J. Wilner ’07 presents similar moments of incisive comedy.

Jennifer H. Rugani ‘07 performs excellently in the role of Bette’s mother, Margaret. Rugani brings a cold presence to her character that nicely complements Margaret’s frigid personality.”

Stern is at the helm of “The Marriage of Bette and Boo” as part of the HRDC’s yearly Visiting Director’s Project. Stern’s directing is expertly understated in that he emphasizes the character-based nature of the play. Stern keeps outside effects of sound and light to a minimum, maintaining the focus on the characters’ verbal and physical interactions—and thus making the play more powerful.

Set designer Blase E. Ur ’07, who is also the president of the HRDC, worked with Stern to produce an amazing manipulation of the Loeb Theatre. Ur created a forced-perspective stage that sets the actors on a slanting floor, presenting the illusion of depth while forcing the actors closer to the audience.

In addition to insinuating the familiarity of the characters’ lives with those of the audience, Ur’s unusual set configuration also suggests the characters’ distorted senses of their own experiences and history.

Thomas E. Osborne ’08 keeps the lighting simple but elegant, shifting efficiently from warm yellow hues to harsh white spotlights. Sound designer Jennifer J. Malin ’09 continues the simplistic theme of “Bette and Boo” with a minimalist musical score. Although the transitions into the music seem abrupt at times, the mournful and plaintive themes do a brilliant job of capturing the play’s emotional tone.

“The Marriage of Bette and Boo” is not without its thematic flaws. At times, the show drags; its pacing feels as though it does not steadily build to a climax. After the intermission, the play seems to continue without substantial character development. This issue is resolved with a strong and emotionally resonant series of plot developments at the end of the show.

Nonetheless, “Bette and Boo” makes up for these off-tone points with dramatic moments that reveal fundamental problems—and even occasional success—in the couple’s family life. The characters’ attempts to come to terms with their own faults culminate in a single moment of emotional payoff at the end. Stern’s creation handles this complex portrayal with elegance, suggesting that, despite the many problems that plague it, the marriage of Bette and Boo ultimately achieves its own beauty.

—Staff writer Mary A. Brazelton can be reached at mbrazelt@fas.harvard.edu.