I went to see the new Charles Busch play at Primary Stages, Olive and the Bitter Herbs. This seems to be a return to the Allergist’s Wife Busch, as opposed to the Divine Sister Busch. Which is great, but I don’t know, maybe a bit of fun is lost in the transition.
Not that fun is missing in Olive, but I think Busch is going for more here than in his more pastiche/campy plays. Here we have a story about a cantankerous lonely older actress and how she is forced to let people into her life. How each person’s life touches many others. And, though change is scary, it’s also a necessary evil in your life. Worthy themes, all.
The play opens with Olive, played by Marcia Jean Kurtz (who, through no fault of her own, will always be the faux-Hedda Nussbaum on ‘Law and Order’ to me) wandering her living room and peering intently into a large mirror. That mirror will play a large part in the evening. Julie Halston plays a gal who supplements her company manager career as being a kind of Gal Friday to older actresses who don’t get out much anymore. David Garrison and Dan Butler are the couple who live next door, and Richard Masur comes in later as the father of the building’s co-op president.
Olive is an abrasive, unpleasant person who doesn’t get along with anyone, and it’s fun watching her try to let her guard down (sometimes successfully, sometimes not)). She’s witty, smart and funny, like many of Charles’ characters. I do think that Marcia Jean Kurtz seems to be struggling—with her lines and maybe even with the character. I’m not sure it’s a natural fit for her, and sometimes the choices she makes ring a little false. However, the show is still in previews, so maybe this will get worked out.
Julie Halston, is, of course, a complete and utter hoot; although she doesn’t have enough to do early in the piece, her monologue in the second act is nearly worth the price of admission. I mean, if you’ve seen Julie Halston, you’ve already seen a lot of what she does here, but that doesn’t negate its hilarity.
David Garrison and Dan Butler are a believable couple, with Garrison the more suave partner and Butler the more extroverted. An off-to-the-side conversation they have towards the end of the play is hysterical. At the end of the show, coincidence on top of coincidence start to pile up, and they build to a funny, yet touching revelation. I’m not sure I bought the very end, but that may be more because of my not responding completely to Kurtz rather than the actual script. Though I could be wrong.
As usual, Charles has written some sharp and funny dialogue, and he has created some very recognizable characters who retain their individuality. The play’s also a little overwritten, especially in the second act, where it seems like Charles felt as if there was a lot that needed to be fit in (though maybe it doesn’t). The supernatural themes could’ve been explored a little more, but I think that’s a directorial issue rather than a dramaturgical one. There’s a running gag about the building super that doesn’t really pay off, and the show could move a little faster, but these are quibbles. I laughed a lot and was touched. Olive doesn’t provide the riotous fun of, say, Divine Sister or Die Mommie Die, but it does give you a pretty authentic slice of NY life and some gentle, touching moments alongside the laughs.
I may even try to see it again after it opens, to see what (if any) changes are made. But I give the show a thumbs-up and hope it finds a huge audience. As always. I suppose I should always state the caveat that I love Charles and be done with it. J
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