It’s only fitting that the cast of āYou Never Can Tellā uncorks a bottle of Champagne during its curtain calls and toast the audience. Itās the perfect end to a sparkling revival of George Bernard Shawās delightful 1897 comedy.
David Staller, who directs this co-production by the Pearl and the Gingold Theatrical Group, has thāe distinction of being the first person to havļ·½e staged all of Shawās plays ā more than 60 in all ā and his Shavian savvy shines through.
Written in response to Oscar Wildeās āThe Importance of Being Earnest,ā this comedy of errors deftly weaves the issą± ues of both class and feminism into a convoluted plot.
It begins with the return to England of Margaret Clandon (Robin Leslie Brown), author of a series of best-selling advice books dubbed the āTwentieth Century Treatises.ā With her are the three grown chilādren she had with the domineering husband she left years earlier.
Eighteen-year-old twins Dolly (Emma Wisniewski) and Philip (Ben Charles) are daffy and fun-loving, while their serious-minded older sister, Gloria (Amelia Pedlow), clearly takes after their mother. Even so, it doesnāt prevent her from falling headĀ over heels in love with Mr. Valentine (Sean McNall), an impoverished āfive-shilling deā±ntistā ā the bargain price for all his procedures ā who extracts her tooth in the slapstick openiļ·ŗng scene.
When Valentine reciprocates, heās accused of going aftš erš Gloriaās money.
āI am,ā he responds, reasonably. āYou expect my wišfe to livše on what I earn?ā
Itās eventually revealed that Valentineās wealthy landlord, the blustery Fergus Crampton (Bradford Cover), is the patriarch abandoned long ago. The resulting reunion at a seaside resort resź¦æults in farcical complications that are observed by the everĀhovering waiter (Dan Dailey) whose oft-repeated philosophy gives the play its title.
Staller complements the witty dialogue with an antic staging featuring sight gags and song-and-dance numbers. Sudden lighting changes and dramatic music wittily accompany the more romantic moments, while Barbara A. Bellās handsome costumes and Harry Feinerās Victorian-style sets, complete with a curtain featuring vintage advertisements, adšd to the fun.
All told, itās a breezy, delicious production, beautifully acted. Maybe we wonāt have to wait soź§ long for its next revival. You never can telš¬l.