UW-Milwaukee Theatre’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara was well executed and well chosen for our current socio-political moment. Under Rebecca Holderness’ direction, an ensemble of largely BFA Acting students brought to life Shaw’s 1907 comedic drama about a young Englishwoman serving in the Salvation Army whose estranged father turns her world upside-down. He does so by making a large donation to her cause using the “tainted wealth” he’s accrued through his successful munitions business.
The complex script brings forward a debate between systems of thought, each represented by one to two characters. These range from idealism (Barbara) to capitalism (her father, Andrew Undershaft), and “family first” (Barbara’s mother, Lady Britomart) to practicality (Barbara’s fiancée, a professor with ambitions to take over her father’s business). Also represented are poor people whose philosophy is defined as “gaming the system” that has put them at a disadvantage.
Clearly, all these philosophies are very much alive in today’s world. Shaw’s great insight was in placing abstract ideologies in the mouths of compelling, often uproarious, characters. Coupled with excellent performance training and interesting production values, his story was a provocative look at the underpinnings of 20th- and 21st-century Western society and the ways it impacts everyday people.
Among the acting ensemble, Connor Finnegan shone as the unrepentant arms manufacturer. Finnegan is a very fine, expressive actor and his likeability forced us to consider his ruthless yet persuasive perspective more fully. As the title character, Olivia Cranston was solidly human. We believed both her passion and her thought, and her flaws and changes of heart made her relatable. As her fiancé, Graham Billings was soft-spoken and given to silent consideration; when he spoke, we listened. As the family preservationist (and, as Holderness argues, nationalist viewpoint), Elizabeth Peavey’s Lady Britomart was sharply funny, her supreme ability to incept her own ideas into her children’s minds, timeless.
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Given the UWM theater fire, Major Barbara was staged in an art gallery space in the Peck School of the Arts. This created both visual interest and a few notable challenges. The piece was staged in an early 20th-century boxing arena raised above the audience’s seating, which wrapped around all four sides. Another pugilist twist: We were asked to “bet” (either by silent hand sign or on a chalk board in the lobby) as the show went on, indicating which viewpoints we found compelling. Although few took up the invitation to participate, the idea was nonetheless interesting for being a reminder to consider critically the views we heard. Lighting (a mix of the gallery’s own instruments and theater lights mounted on posts) was a bit distracting for its blinding angles; video projections from protest movements throughout the last century generally supported the play’s ideas well.
A thoughtful and polished piece from the Theatre Department and a worthy examination of the ways that thought both does and doesn’t change over time with relation to the greater social good, Major Barbara was a success and a great conversation starter.
