Harbinger Theatre is now in its second year of operation. Their current production, “Mrs. Packard” helps explain why the new group has been so successful in gaining the support of audiences. It takes on subjects to which audiences respond on a visceral level.
The play, which is running at Albany Theatre Barn through Saturday evening, tells the story of a remarkable woman. Mrs. Packard accomplished important things and yet, has been almost totally forgotten by history.
It’s a tale that is infuriating to contemporary sensibilities. Indeed, the very idea of a woman being declared insane and placed in a mental institution for disagreeing with her husband’s thinking seems incredible, even for 1861.
Mrs. Packard, the wife of Reverend Theophilus Packard was put in a ward for the mentally unstable for three years. Her crime was expressing a forgiving attitude towards sinners which was in direct conflict to the firm, punishing Calvinistic approach of her husband’s preaching.
The play chronicles her time in the cruel hospital, her support of the other patients, her battle with the authorities, her sanity trial and ultimate release. An epilogue tells how she became a major force in changing hospitals’ inhumane treatment of patients and in the woman suffrage movement of the era.
Clearly, this is a work that acts as an adrenaline quick hit to the emotions. The story immediately draws a reaction, especially since we realize in the over 160 years since Mrs. Packard’s incarceration, female equality still has a long way to go.
This is not meant to be a subtle piece and it isn’t. It’s clear from the melodramatic opening that Mrs. Elizabeth Packard, who is shown pleading to remain a mother to her six children, is a victim. It’s just as clear that her adversaries are so righteous as to actually be evil. It’s is a play that avoids all complexity by manipulating the audience through simplistic storytelling. It does this by choosing an incident that is so wrong there is no defending it. What it fails to do is get to the root of the “them vs. us” problem. Why does generation after generation subjugate the outsider?
Consider, this event happened at the start of the Civil War. One might think issues of racial injustice might have found its way into the text. It’s a positive that director Chris Foster chose to have an actor of color included in the play. It suggests, ever so faintly, what the author neglected so completely.
Ironically, in an effort to tell a story that should be told, playwright Emily Mann creates a play that is difficult to produce. Harbinger uses a cast of 16 to create over 20 characters. Some serve as witnesses in the trial to provide background on Mrs. Packard; others are patients in the hospital.
Foster does a marvelous job staging the work and getting coherent performances from all. The only individual who deserves equal praise is Beth Ruman who created the excellent period costumes for the many performers. Also adding to the experience is the intriguing sound design of Joshua Horowitz.
Even the cast of 9, suggested by the playwright is large, making it almost financially impossible for professional companies to produce. With non-professional troupes enlarging the cast, it assures that not every role will be played by polished actors.
The first act is repetitious as it works on overload to establish Mrs. Packard as a victim of her genuinely despicable husband. The second act is far superior. Longer scenes among the theater veterans in the cast seem less documentary in spirit and more theatrical in form.
Strong performances by Richard Michael Roe and Robin Leary as the abused Mrs. Stockton add to the play’s believability.
However, it is the performances of the leads that make the production work. Kathleen Carey creates an ideal Mrs. Packard. She is able to convey the woman’s vulnerability and still show her strength enduring a lifetime of injustice. Carey is also wisely political without appearing to be scheming. Best of all, she delivers some lines that capture the preachy evangelical spirit of the playwright that in lesser hands would seem blatantly manipulative. Carey makes them inspiring. It’s a performance as remarkable as Mrs. Packard’s life.
Also important is the work of Kerry Kazmierowictztrimm as Dr. MacFarland, the man who runs the hospital. He is a frustrating figure as he appears to be sympathetic to Mrs. Packard’s plight, yet is actually more concerned with keeping his power in the hospital by using brutal procedures. One wishes the playwright would have given the character an opportunity for either self-reflection or redemption.
Indeed, this is true of the entire play. Mann has found a noble person to admire. However, with a play that lacks complexity, she only asks her audience to leave the theater angry. The question is, is the anger directed at the social abuses of the mid-19th century or the social problems of the early-21st century?
“Mrs. Packard” plays at the Albany Barn tonight throurh Saturday. For tickets go the event.brite.com/mrs-packard
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
