Enchanted April
Walnut Street Theatre
825 Walnut St.
Until April 29; Thu, 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Fri-Sat, 8 p.m.; Sun, 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; Tue-Wed, 8 p.m.; $10-57.50
(215) 574-3550
www.walnutstreettheatre.org
Penn students have every right to be confused. First, during our "spring" break, Philly gets hit by a snowstorm. Then, after a wave of warm weather and sunshine has us breaking out our flip-flops, we're struck again by a wave of cold weather and snow - though apparently many Penn girls didn't notice, based on some of the party outfits I saw them wear while tramping through said snow. Now, it's finally safe to say that spring has sprung, and with it comes a new romantic comedy at the Walnut Street Theatre, Enchanted April.
Based on a novel written by Elizabeth von Arnim in the 1920s, Enchanted April manages to be touching and uplifting despite having been written in the thick of post-World War I gloom. The story follows the lives of Lotty (Alicia Roper) and Rose (Maureen Garrett), two London housewives disillusioned by their distant and unappreciative husbands. After reading an advertisement for a castle on the Italian coast, the charismatic dreamer Lotty convinces Rose to rent it with her for the month of April - of course, they fail to mention this plan to their husbands until the night before their departure. They are joined by two unlikely traveling companions: the wealthy and beautiful Lady Caroline (Meghan Heimbecker), notorious for her tabletop dances and frequent sexscapades, and Mrs. Graves (Wendy Scharfman), a widow with a stick up her ass. Naturally, the ladies' ill-matched personalities clash, bringing humor to the stage and chaos to their idyllic Italian environs.
After a few weeks the women's seclusion is interrupted by Lotty and Rose's husbands and Antony, the castle's owner (Ian Merrill Peakes). Both Lotty and Rose, awash with newfound affection for their menfolk, are able to rekindle the romance and reconnect with their estranged husbands. Amid all the love, even Caroline, the Paris Hilton of her day, finds romance in an unexpected place. Between Lotty's far-fetched notions of life, Caroline's sardonic wit, Mrs. Graves' miscommunications with the Italian housekeeper and a brief and surprising flash of nudity, laughter reverberates throughout.
This play is a suger-coated treat, even for those of us who aren't particularly culturally-inclined. It's hard not to feel cheerful walking out of the theater, almost like all your exams and papers have flown the coop for Nevern Never Land. It was the perfect dose of enchantment in an otherwise ordinary day.
