Theater Review : Comic Truths Ring Out in ‘Circle’

Fans of the novels and stories of W. Somerset Maugham frequently aren’t aware that for a quarter of a century he was one of England’s top playwrights and often had three plays running at once in London’s West End.

Most of those plays were comedies, and the most revived and best thought of is his 1921 romp, “The Circle,” currently playing at the Long Beach Studio Theatre.

Most of Maugham’s comedies poked, prodded and pricked the institution of marriage. He thought ill of marriage. His own was a disaster. But behind Maugham’s ever-starchy exterior, there was always a kittenish sense of humor, and it’s no more evident than in this delightful theatrical prank, set in 1919, about the joys and wisdom of deserting one’s spouse.

When Arnold Champion-Cheney was 5, his mother ran off with the prominent Lord Hugh Porteous, causing a scandal that ruined his chances to be prime minister and forcing their three-decade exile in Florence.

Arnold’s father, who has given over his estate to his politician son, lives in a cottage near the main house. Unbeknown to the father, Arnold’s wife, Elizabeth, has invited Lord Porteous and Arnold’s mom, Lady Kitty, to visit. She has her reasons, for there is another guest, Teddie Luton, who is passionately in love with Elizabeth, and she needs to do some research.

This is high comedy in the strict sense, what was once called “teacup comedy,” technically not unlike Wilde, or Coward or Sheridan. Not a comma or syllable can be left out--it is language that is like music, and this company does very well by it indeed.

Director Robert G. Leigh guides his company with impeccable taste and with a sure knowledge of the script’s musical requirements. If there is a flaw in his staging, it is a tendency to sometimes let the air out of the froth he has taken so much trouble to whip up, allowing some of his actors to become more intense, more sincere, more bloody emotional than is good for their laughs.

Phil Oakley, as Maugham’s alter ego, Arnold, is as priggish and as much a junior Colonel Blimp as he can be. Until Arnold realizes that his wife is about to bolt, one can almost imagine there is a curtain rod up the back of his trousers, and Oakley’s panoply of tics when unsettled is a very funny trick that more could be made of.

Bob Kokol is equally on the mark as the decrepit Porteous, with ill-fitted false teeth, a marvelous grumble-rumble of dismay and a streak of charm a yard wide that makes Lady Kitty’s decision to fly with him seem perfectly logical.

One of the best moments, when Porteous and Kitty are between spats, as they realize the still-burning affection between them is being echoed in the younger generation, rings with an honesty and shine that Maugham only found after he had left his wife, Syrie.

Kathy Davis, as Kitty, and Kokol are matched well, hissing at each other as they always have, delighted with their own little shows. Davis has just the right flavor for the exiled scarlet woman, even if it’s sometimes a bit too heady a mixture and could be toned down.

Beth Kellerman is a delightful Elizabeth, with just the right naivete tossed up with a slight brashness typical of a well-born British girl flapping into the Roaring Twenties. Derek Stefan is a fine Teddie, quite opaque mentally, rather pompous and juvenile, but with enough pizazz to justify Elizabeth’s adoration.

Helen Ingebritsen provides a needed balance with her admirably period shadings and reactions as a guest, but Rowland Kerr seems at odds with his characterization as Arnold’s father and with the style of comedy. James A. Rice, as the butler George, is amusing, and his upper lip is so stiff, he looks as though he might have trained at Lord Astor’s Cliveden.

* “The Circle,” Long Beach Studio Theatre, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; matinee on July 17 at 2 p.m. Ends July 23. $10. (310) 494-1616. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes. Phil Oakley: Arnold Champion-Cheney

Beth Kellerman: Elizabeth Champion-Cheney

Kathy Davis; Lady Kitty

Rowland Kerr: Clive Champion-Cheney

Bob Kokol: Lord Hugh Porteous

Derek Stefan: Teddie Luton

Helen Ingebritsen: Mrs. Anna Shenstone

James A. Rice: George

A Long Beach Playhouse production of W. Somerset Maugham’s comedy. Directed by Robert G. Leigh. Scenic design: Bradley Kaye. Lighting design: Ed Gatica. Sound design: K. Robert Eaton. Costume design: Donna Fritsche. Wig/makeup design: Gary Christiansen. Dialect coach: Aled Davies.