The Queen of Confusion

Ruth Wolff’s “The Abdication,” currently at the Open Fist, is loosely based on the true story of Queen Christina of Sweden--a Protestant monarch who abdicated her throne to embrace Catholicism. Wolff’s costume epic, which was made into a Warner Bros. film starring Liv Ullmann and Peter Finch, runs the gamut from theological dialectic to steamy romance--and misses the boat on both genres. Despite these shortcomings, the production is firmly anchored by C. Dianne Manning’s craftsmanlike staging and Martha Demson’s sweeping performance as the emotionally embattled queen.

Set in 1655, the action is compressed into a tight time frame. Having recently abdicated her throne, Christina arrives at the Vatican expecting a lavish reception. However, her unseemly behavior en route--namely her habit of dressing like a man and throwing wild parties--has rankled many in this seat of orthodoxy.

Before being received by the pope, Christina must be fully vetted by crafty Cardinal Azzolino (William Salyers) to determine whether she is a true child of Rome or a dangerous degenerate unworthy of conversion. A queen without a country, Christina is utterly dependent on Azzolino’s acceptance. But if Azzolino expects a powerless penitent intent on his appeasement, he should think again.

The play is essentially composed of Azzolino’s ongoing dialogue with his scrappy supplicant, interspersed with frequent flashbacks to Christina’s youth. Christina’s younger self is played by two actresses, reflecting (somewhat obviously) the torturous divide between Christina’s masculinized, power-seeking half (Anastasia Basil) and her lovelorn feminine side (Rachel Andersen).

Sexually ambivalent but curious, Christina is equally drawn to her female friend Ebba (Amy Edlin) and her male admirer Magnus (Giampiero Judica). It’s no wonder Christina is confused. If your mom kept your dead dad in a box by her bed--as Christina’s does in the play--you might have some issues too.

Why Wolff insists on predicating all of Christina’s actions and motivations solely upon her gender is an abiding mystery. What starts off as a provocative examination of feminine prerogatives and powerlessness soon segues into a potboiling romance between Christina--an obdurate virgin--and Azzolino--an intermittent celibate still bearing a boatload of guilt from his last slip.

Manning draws pristine performances from her capable cast, and the technical elements--particularly Rae Robison’s handsome period costumes--are uniformly excellent. Although his muted, cinematic performance is sometimes at odds with the overall floridity of the piece, Salyers ultimately rises to the fervid occasion. Yet it is the dashing Demson--boyish, brash and openly yearning--who carries the field and makes us willingly gloss over the dramatic inconsistencies of her character.

BE THERE

“The Abdication,” Open Fist, 1625 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends Feb. 26. $15. (323) 882-6912. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.