STAGE REVIEWS : ‘LIFE WITH FATHER’

Huntington Beach Playhouse opens its new season in a new location with a golden oldie, staging a hit-and-miss production of “Life With Father.” This 1939 Howard Lindsay-Russel Crouse script is an American classic, having earned its slot in theater history with the longest run of a non-musical on Broadway. But although this production is a pleasant reminder of the durability of this play, more often than not it is hampered by an uneven cast and pacing problems.

The story is a thick slice of nostalgic Americana that still has the ability to charm. Set in New York City in the very Victorian 1880s, when a man was head of the household and a wife’s duty was to keep his household running smoothly, the play follows the Day family’s encounters with religion, capitalism and (shudder) house guests. Director Barry Berger approaches the material with a convincing feel for the period and for Lindsay and Crouse’s richly drawn characters, exhibited in generally good attention to costumes, sets and props. But pacing poses some major problems, the transitions between scenes are too long, and there is a faltering rhythm to the conversational give-and-take between characters.

Happily, Bill Shope has a good grasp of what makes the father such an enduring (and endearing, for all his grumbling) character, giving a solid performance that anchors the show. Tangie Velie is a fine mix of Victorian manners, Midwestern practicality and feminine shrewdness as the wife who long ago figured out how to work around her husband’s stubborn determination and keep him in the dark about how she does it. Brandy Butera and Kathleen O’Brien are also winning as the pretty young house guests who keep turning up unexpectedly (or so Father is led to believe).

The theater organization’s new location, in the auditorium of Gisler Middle School, offers several advantages over its previous space in Seacliff Village, among them a proscenium stage and abundant backstage and box office space.

“Life With Father” will play through Dec. 20 at Gisler Middle School, 21141 Strathmoor Lane, Huntington Beach. Information: (714) 832-1405.