Review: ‘The Voysey Inheritance’ at Theatre 40

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The setting may be Edwardian England, but when the swindler operating a prestigious investment firm bemoans small-minded moralists’ inability to ‘see beyond the letter of the law,’ we could just as easily be listening to the grousing of Bernie Madoff or the spate of present-day con artists who preceded him.

The enduring topicality of the well-heeled swindle in Harley Granville-Barker’s 1905 drama, ‘The Voysey Inheritance,’ prompted a prescient adaptation a century later by David Mamet. Paring five sprawling acts down to a sharply focused portrait of a well-to-do family’s response to the revelation that its wealth and status are built on a foundation of corruption, this revised version receives a handsome and incisive, albeit slow-moving, staging by Bruce Gray for Theatre 40.

Set in the burnished wood-paneled opulence of Jeff G. Rack’s impeccably detailed library set, the ethical quagmire tearing the Voysey clan apart begins with heir apparent Edward (Alec Beard) confronting his terminally ill father (Patrick John Hurley) with his discovery that for two generations the family firm has been defrauding investors in what is essentially a Ponzi scheme (though Granville-Barker’s play predates even the exploits of Charles Ponzi).

Ironically, the most archaic aspect of the play is Edward’s determination to restore integrity to the firm’s finances, despite the financial sacrifices and potential legal jeopardy it entails. For his trouble, he finds that the fraud is not only tolerated -- even admired -- by the rest of his family, but also woven into the broader social, economic and religious fabric around him.

The 12-member cast grapples imperfectly with accents -- individual word pronunciation is accurate but the rhythm and pace artificially lag. Nevertheless, the twists and turns of the play’s descent into moral ambiguity are presented with clarity and undeniable relevance.

-- Philip Brandes

‘The Voysey Inheritance,’ Theatre 40, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills. 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends July 19. $23-25. (310) 364-0535. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes