TEA TIME IN THE FAR REACHES OF NORTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY!…A Capsule Review
Taking a stroll down TEA LANE in Fallbrook, CA with players from 413 PROJECT (described as a “Southern California Repertory Theatre” centered in San Diego and Los Angeles (LA)) for “High Tea” and a showing of Jane Austen’s SENSE & SENSIBILITY. The tea experience proves less than anticipated and the play presents as an earnest, yet uninspired dramatic rendition of the novel.
Regarding the High Tea, perhaps the analysis best focuses on expectation vs. reality. Their two choices of tea are just fine. The dainty desserts and savories, though, register both in the hit and miss columns. There are cucumber and ham salad sandwiches, along with avocado toast (it is Fallbrook, the avocado capital of the universe, after all); for Susie and I, almost none are extraordinary. In addition, the soup or salad advertised on the website never emerges from the kitchen. The scones are delicious accompanied by jelly and creme fraiche. I yearn, though, for jam and lemon curd. Other dessert offerings less successful include cherry cheesecake, fudge and lemon madeleines. Oh, well! (sigh)
The space itself seems appropriately Victorian with flowery adornments and apropos furniture. We are seated at a table of four, dressed with tablecloth and fresh flowers plus 3-tiered dainty trays and requisite tableware for a dining room of that era.
The staff appears pleasant, yet ill-prepared at times for the event’s trimmings. For example, all guests are seated – slowly – while in the midst of a sudden flurry of activity after waiting out front on the sidewalk until the specific time of opening. Also, a guest who arrives after a long freeway trip who asks to use the restroom is informed that it is not available because the actors need that space at the moment. Not only that, despite a large party of home-schooled children in attendance, there are no special considerations with food and drink as is customary in these circumstances at other tea parlors. Perplexing.
As for the literary drama itself, since the actors identify as “volunteers”, my comments will skew to the general. One portrayal is entirely professional, while several have their moments yet do not achieve fully realized, rounded characters. Furthermore, still others seem somewhat unprepared or ill at ease, and a few more appear to be atrociously miscast. A mixed bag for sure, but this reviewer admires the committed performers swimming in the stilted, blooming language of the era; they often struggle with rhythms and cadences of the speech, but even so, they soldier on.
SENSE & SENSIBILITY is essentially a coming-of-age story involving the Dashwood sisters who make their way in a society that frowns on their circumstances. They live, they love, they succeed, they fail while engaging in a reproving society overly concerned with appearances. It is a demanding script even for a highly professional group of players. The language is – well – early Jane Austen. It is a tough slog for even the inveterate theatregoer (one can imagine the challenge for the youngsters in attendance).
Therefore, in short, I stumble and fall as I stroll down TEA LANE, but I recover and divert to life’s new, invigorating experiences which may be just around the corner.
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Theatre Curtain Calling… Reviewing the Situation
