In a Proper ‘Cocktail Hour,’ Restraint Is Uncalled For

Playwright A.R. Gurney staked out his territory early and has never left it. It’s Eastern United States, upper- and upper-middle-class society. It’s WASP country.

In “The Cocktail Hour,” a rare venture into autobiographical theater, he goes back to his family and a significant ritual that is fading--that time between the end of work and sitting down to dinner, when a few martinis or highballs relaxed the nerves and spiked the appetite.

Gurney has said that he doesn’t miss the rite but recalls that a generation or two ago it was de rigueur, particularly in Gurneyland.

The Gurney character, John, returns to his family to get their permission for the production of his play about them. Of course they refuse, and their ritual cocktail hour becomes a battlefield where the bitter remains of their dysfunctional history are laid bare.

In her staging at the Vanguard Theatre, director Sandy Silver almost captures the colors and rhythms of that individual world. But this family never quite settles into that very specific frame. They could be an upper-middle-class family anywhere; Gurney’s point and some of the humor are unclear.

As John, David Sumerford is excellent. His cool, barely concealed bitterness over family memories is projected with subtlety and detail that work beautifully. Richard Lewis is very strong as father Bradley, with a fine balance between Bradley’s harshness and his too-obvious attempts at congeniality. Father and son are the central figures, and these actors strike sparks in their battle of wills.

Paulette Kendall couldn’t be better as daughter Nina, who has settled into a complacently prosperous married life but is aching to look outside her hometown for fulfillment. She’s feisty and properly multihued emotionally.

Silver seems to have wanted to tone down the effective ritual of drinking during the cocktail hour, which misses the point. This is very noticeable in Joanne Underwood’s performance as mother Ann.

She and Silver take seriously Ann’s caution when asking for another martini: “Just a splash, I’m serious.” What Ann is asking for is a full glass, her phrase as much a lifelong ritual as the hefty martinis she drinks. Ann’s meaning is: “Just another tiny double before dinner.” It should get a big laugh but doesn’t here.

Underwood also misses many of Ann’s other laughs. Underwood’s Ann is not the self-centered patrician of Gurney’s play; she is too concerned over others’ feelings, too conciliatory, and spends too much time hugging her family, something that would never enter Ann’s mind to do.

There is enough of the right thrust in the performances of Lewis, Sumerford and Kendall to do the play justice, but Silver’s staging is mostly like a very wet martini.

* “The Cocktail Hour,” Vanguard Theatre, 699A S. State College Blvd., Fullerton. Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m. Ends Feb. 3. $12-$14. (714) 526-8007. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes.

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Richard Lewis: Bradley

David Sumerford: John

Joanne Underwood: Ann

Paulette Kendall: Nina

A Vanguard Theatre Ensemble production of A.R. Gurney’s comedy drama, executive producer Howard Johnston, produced by Cheryl Etzel. Directed by Sandy Silver. Scenic design: Daniel Nyiri. Lighting design: John Vasquez. Sound design: K. Robert Eaton. Costume design: Perry B. Ash. Stage manager: Pablo Giustorobelo.