Pasadena Playhouse has rolled out The Visit, the 1956 Swiss absurdist comedy by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Jefferson Mays stars and Darko Tresnjak directs, and a good number of cast and crew carry over from the recent Amadeus production. It is a quick return for a theater that seems to have handed its keys over to the two Tony winners most responsible for making Amadeus a smash.
Mays Plays the Mouse
Jefferson Mays is widely regarded as one of the most charismatic and capable actors in modern theater, but he is not really the star of The Visit. He plays Anton Schill, a humble shopkeeper in postwar (or possibly 2020s) Europe whose past comes back to haunt him. Mays admitted in a recent interview that he was not sure he was right for the role, and you can see why he might have thought so, given the character’s passivity.
Hamilton’s Claire Takes Over
The force that drives the play comes from its female lead, Claire Zachanassian, who is the wealthiest woman in the world and a character with an abundance of personality. She is performed by Melinda Page Hamilton, an actress whose work on stage and television has kept her from becoming a household name — even so, she commands such presence that you’re convinced she must be one anyway.
Claire steps off the train and moves through the poor European town where she spent her girlhood, carrying the air of a smooth, clever blend of Lauren Bacall, Madonna, and a demonically possessed Daisy Buchanan. At first her motives stay hidden, but her sharp wit is so entertaining that you nearly hope she isn’t up to anything bad, though she plainly is. Her guards arrive with an empty casket, and in a piece of writing where a coffin shows up in the opening scene, it most certainly will be back in the closing act.
The Town Meeting Ultimatum
Before the midway point of the show, Claire makes the announcement at a town meeting that she’ll save the burg with a gift of one billion, on one condition: that they bring her a dead Anton. She was his lover in their youth, and they recall fond memories of their passionate trysts in the woods near where she first arrived. Later, it’s made clear that she embodies pure vengeance, though she speaks as if plucked from a ’30s screwball comedy or “Truth or Dare.”
What Works and What Doesn’t
Up to the point that Claire makes her proposal, The Visit is a rollicking good time. For much of the audience, it will remain that all the way to the end, even with some somber moments along the way that aren’t played for laughs. But the basic problem with the play is that once Claire makes her modest proposal to save the town, there won’t likely be any doubt in a single audience member’s mind about what happens next.
The Bleak Fatalism
The play falls into a category of theater that treats fate as an organizing principle, with events unfolding in such a way that we become more and more convinced that society, government, and individuals are all destined to corruption and greed. Whether you find pleasure in it will likely depend on how much you already accept or reject that idea before you begin.
The Production Team Returns
The familiar faces from previous productions return, giving the show the feel of a private theatrical company. Tresnjak’s direction lets him toy with the initially realistic setting, introducing surreal, grotesque and anachronistic elements as the tragicomedy unfolds.
The Verdict on Pasadena’s Pairing
This is the part worth watching: Hamilton’s Claire Zachanassian is a commanding performance that anchors the show. The play’s fatalistic message may be too smug for some, but the acting is worth the visit.
- Venue: Pasadena Playhouse
- Playwright: Friedrich Dürrenmatt
- Stars: Jefferson Mays, Melinda Page Hamilton
- Director: Darko Tresnjak
- Role: Anton Schill (Mays); Claire Zachanassian (Hamilton)
| Production | Role | Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Amadeus | Salieri | Jefferson Mays |
| The Visit | Anton Schill | Jefferson Mays |
| The Visit | Claire Zachanassian | Melinda Page Hamilton |
The play was penned by Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt back in 1956, and it has since been adapted and revised over the years. It is now being staged as a single act at Pasadena Playhouse, where Claire puts forward her proposal to Anton: one billion dollars for his life.
The verdict is worth the trip for Hamilton.
Source material: “‘The Visit’ at Pasadena Playhouse Review: The ’50s Absurdist Comedy Is Too Smug in Its Peak-Bleak View of Venal Humanity, but Jefferson Mays and Melinda Page Hamilton Are Worth the Visit,” Variety.
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