‘Toys in Attic’ a dusty relic

“Toys in the Attic,” which opened on Broadway in 1960, is widely considered Lillian Hellman’s last major work for the theater.

Set in New Orleans, the play concerns two self-sacrificing “old maids” whose ne’er-do-well younger brother, whom they have long been accustomed to supporting, blows into town with a child bride on his arm and a new fortune in his pocket.

Long-winded, with a heavy quotient of melodrama, the play is a creaky relic that presents obvious problems to present-day interpreters.

The portrayal of Southerners as hothouse exotics may have been an acceptable convention at the time, and certainly other playwrights, most notably Tennessee Williams, battened on regional eccentricities in their works.

But any time you have more than one twittering Southerner on stage at the same time, you’ve got problems, Houston. With exceptions, the characters in “Toys” behave with a concentrated idiocy that, for modern audiences, may be hard to take.

Director Jessica Kubzansky and a game cast steam the drama until done, but it’s a hoary chestnut all the same. Caryn West and Bonita Friedericy play Anna and Carrie Berniers, the spinster sisters who work low-level jobs to bankroll their profligate sibling, Julian (Donald Sage Mackay).

West is a shade too muted as the common-sensical Anna, who tires of her role as sensible foil to the more “sensitive” Carrie. A woman with an unhealthy yen for her brother, Carrie ultimately sheds her gossamer shell to reveal the iron dragon underneath, a dramatically abrupt unveiling that Friedericy handles with great finesse.

Mackay has an uphill struggle as the bombastic Julian, who gushes even more effusively than the womenfolk, and that’s saying something. A fine actor, Mackay tackles his doomed buffoon with vigor, but his unease is occasionally evident. Also problematic is the character of Lily (valiant Jane Longenecker), Julian’s wealthy and possibly insane young wife, whose persistent (and persistently annoying) mood swings entail a whole lot of whining.

As Albertine Prine, Lily’s wealthy mother, Nancy Linehan Charles displays a world-weary elegance that, amid the general histrionics, is palliative. Tom Buderwitz’s marvelously shabby set, Alexa Stone’s well-crafted period costumes and Jeremy Pivnick’s evocative lighting are all first-rate, fine trappings for a conscientious production of an overrated play.

*

‘Toys in the Attic’

Where: Colony Theatre, 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank

When: Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m.

Ends: Sept. 14

Price: $26-$32

Contact: (818) 558-7000

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes