Freshers’ Plays 2011: Boston Marriage

In a case where love triangles simply aren’t complicated enough, ‘Boston Marriage’ by David Mamet tells the tale of two former lovers – Anna (Edie Deffebach) and Claire (Emily Dixon) […]


In a case where love triangles simply aren’t complicated enough, ‘Boston Marriage’ by David Mamet tells the tale of two former lovers – Anna (Edie Deffebach) and Claire (Emily Dixon) – desperately trying to have their cake and eat it too.

 

The trouble begins when Claire professes her love for a young girl, much to Anna’s disgust, whom she has invited to Anna’s home. Only, when the girl arrives she discovers that Anna is wearing her mother’s emerald necklace: given to Anna by the girl’s father (with whom Anna is having an affair). What follows are their farcical attempts to hold onto what they stand to lose, aided by Anna’s incompetent Scottish – or, to Anna’s insistence, Irish – maid Catherine (Ali Young).

 

The plot races along at the speed of sound, playing with a bizarre amalgamation of Victorian dialogue and modern vernacular. For what must have been an exhausting tongue-twister of a performance, the energy was kept high throughout. However, sloth-brained as I am, the production could have benefitted from more changes of pace, as I found myself sometimes losing entire sentences to the racy metre. This also affected some of the Victorian/modern language crossover jokes, whose necessary pace was occasionally swamped.

 

Nonetheless, this was a strong performance overall, and the actors did well not to allow the comedy to jar the emotional moments. Miss Deffebach was captivating as Anna, but particular merit is due to Miss Young, who more often than not stole the scene with her brilliant timing.

 

Although, let’s be honest, we saw that muff joke coming a mile off…

 

 

Written by Joseph Cunningham, standing-room-only writer

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting Fact: The play derives its name from a term coined during the Victorian Era to describe two women living together independent from male support. Often, but not always, this hinted at a sexual relationship as well.