STAGE REVIEW : Warmed-Over ‘Don Juan in Hell’

When the devil chides Don Juan for his long speeches in Shaw’s “Don Juan in Hell” at the Henry Fonda Theatre, the would-be superman replies snidely: “If I overtax your intellect, you can leave. . . .”

The producers of this “Don Juan” apparently took these words seriously. Afraid of overtaxing the audience, they interrupt Shaw’s train of thought with an intermission, only 45 minutes into the play, allowing anyone who so chooses to make a graceful exit.

And listen to the way they announce it: David Carradine’s Devil--about to begin a new line of reasoning--suddenly turns to Ricardo Montalban’s Don Juan and says, “Excuse me, Ricardo, I think first we should take a little intermission.”

Too bad we can’t change channels at that point. As long as the evening is intended for video-era attention spans, it would be only fair to see what the competition might offer. Arsenio or Johnny might have more entertaining guests.

To be fair, this is a concert-style reading, not a full production. The actors flip through the pages of their scripts, which are perched on podiums. Given this lack of surface realism, the use of “Ricardo’s” real name isn’t totally wacky.

Marshall W. Mason’s staging follows a conventional model for “Don Juan in Hell” productions, used since Charles Laughton did it like this in 1947, explains a program note. But some members of the audience on opening night didn’t understand. “Why wouldn’t they learn their lines?” asked the man in front of me, in the wake of that abrupt break for intermission.

Ah, but you see, if the actors knew their lines, the producers would have had to charge more for the tickets. This way, they’ve held the ticket price range down to a mere $35-$40. Such a deal.

Even with scripts, the actors still stumbled a bit. Most of the stumbles were by Stewart Granger as the Commander, who declared at one point, “I’ve lost my place.” Fortunately he found it rather quickly. But his cue pick-ups were anything but quick. When the Commander was supposed to interrupt a speech with a sudden “Bosh!,” an eternity seemed to pass between the cue and Granger’s “Bosh!”

At least Granger was not miscast; one could picture him as the Commander. On the other hand, Carradine was light years away from the seductive charisma of Shaw’s Devil. His hyperactive arms tried to make up for the lack of animation in his voice. At least he didn’t trip over the words.

He was no match for Montalban’s Don Juan. Montalban did this role many times in the ‘70s and knows it well. He and Lynn Redgrave as Dona Ana were more at home in their roles than Granger and Carradine and sporadically moved with assurance away from their podiums.

Some might argue that Montalban’s sonorous Spanish accent is ideal for the role of Don Juan, a Spaniard, and should have been used for the roles of Dona Ana and her father. Then again, the script is by an Englishman and refers constantly to the English, so others might prefer the English accents of Redgrave and Granger. And the production is taking place in Hollywood, which might justify Carradine’s accent. At any rate, the constant switching between accents distracts somewhat from the substance of Shaw’s reasoning.

For some of us, it’s hard to accept the entire concert-reading format. A year ago, South Coast Repertory staged a somewhat abridged version of the entire “Man and Superman,” of which “Don Juan in Hell” is a part. South Coast’s “Don Juan” was fully staged, with vivid costumes and sets, no scripts, and actors who were cast for their ability to bite into Shaw’s argument instead of their star power. It was immensely more satisfying.

Here, the actors wear formal wear (the men in black, Redgrave in white), and the only scenic effects come from a hokey use of red light now and then to indicate the location in hell. We’re supposed to play along with the conceit that this is a concert; Carradine opens the show by pretending to conduct the lights.

OK, OK, it’s a concert. So why can’t the quartet play in tune?

“Don Juan in Hell,” Henry Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Saturday matinees, 2 p.m.; Sunday matinees, 3 p.m. Ends Nov. 3. $35-$40. (213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000. Running time: 2 hours.

‘Don Juan in Hell’

Ricardo Montalban: Don Juan

Lynn Redgrave: Dona Ana

Stewart Granger: Commander

David Carradine: Devil

Produced by James M. Nederlander and Stan Seiden. Supervising producers Martin Wiviott and Keith Stava. Directed by Marshall W. Mason. Lights by Kim Killingsworth. Redgrave’s gown by Bill Belew. Sound by William Young. Props by Deborah J. Dennis. Production stage manager Don Walters.