As the lights dim in the Black Box Theatre this Halloween weekend, audiences are transported into the fabricated and satirical world of “The Philanderer,” running from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. “The Philanderer,” directed by senior Allison McPeak and written by George Bernard Shaw, explores themes and complexities of love, marriage, infidelity and relationships.
A love triangle forms between three characters: Leonard Charteris, played by sophomore Lydia Benesh; Grace Tranfield, played by junior Kaden Micklos; and Julia Craven, played by junior Max de Buys. While Tranfield and Craven are both in love with Charteris, he struggles to commit to just one of the women.
Upon receiving the script, McPeak knew she wanted to add a spin to this 19th-century play. Instead of casting the play traditionally, each character is played by an actor who doesn’t identify with that character’s gender.
“The genders of the actors are swapped, but the genders of the characters stay the same,” McPeak said. “[Audiences] get to see these gender roles and gender stereotypes projected onto people that you wouldn’t expect to see them projected onto.”
Benesh plays Leonard Charteris, a schmoozy, self-centered man seeking the hearts of two women, Grace Tranfield and Julia Craven.
“[With] a lot of [female characters], there’s some sort of restraint or some sort of poise,” Benesh said. “Even if you’re a woman as a villain, you’re still the ‘sexy villain’ or the ‘old hag villain.’ You don’t get to be just this guy who’s just gross.”
Since Benesh has never played a male role before, she said the biggest struggle has been being conscious of every single movement to make it purposefully masculine.
“We’re used to seeing men on the stage behave in the way that [Benesh’s] character does, but we’re just not really used to it when it’s a woman doing these things,” McPeak said. “With the female characters, we’re used to seeing these over dramatic, super feminine, tantrum-throwing divas, but it’s a surprise when that’s coming from a male actor.”
First-Year V Bechtel plays Daniel Craven, Julia Craven’s father. Bechtel said he struggles to relate to his character, which is that of a reserved, close-minded veteran. However, Bechtel said this role has given them a new perspective.
“It’s interesting to put myself in [Craven’s] mindset because I would never think that way myself,” Bechtel said. “I believe that [Craven] shouldn’t be so rigid, but he just hasn’t been taught any other way, and so it’s difficult for him to understand anything other than what he’s known.”
Another challenge actors encountered was incorporating a new dialect into their characters. “The Philanderer’s” characters use a Transatlantic accent, which blends English and American accents. Benesh said that playing a male role while using a Transatlantic accent is difficult yet freeing.
“[The accent] does give you a little bit more freedom because it’s not like you’re trying to emulate an actual person, and the way it sits in your mouth is very different,” Benesh said. “There’s also the gender aspect on top of that, as a Transatlantic woman [accent] is very different than a Transatlantic man [accent].”
The cast and crew’s hard work will take the stage this weekend. Catch “The Philanderer” from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, with all performances at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre.
“I am excited for everyone to see the hard work that the team has put in,” McPeak said. “The stage management team, the actors, the designers, just everyone has poured so much into the show and has been so instrumental in making it all come together. I’m so excited for them to get that recognition for doing that because I’m just absolutely blown away by the talent that I have in the room with me at all times.”
