Off the Wall Theatre glides into a dreamy political fantasy with its staging of The Madwoman of Chaillot. A soulfully charismatic Marilyn White plays the title character: an eccentric who aids Paris in thwarting the business interests of a group of unscrupulous investors. White’s performance exhibits an intimate understanding that the inner strength drawn from extreme empathy can appear to be madness to the rest of the world. It’s an earnest performance that lends its warmth to the entire cast.
Michael Pocaro complements White as the Ragman who points her sensitivities in the right direction. Playwright Jean Giraudoux is far from subtle in this starry-eyed fugue of a fairy tale. As the Ragman, Pocaro is perhaps given some of the most emotional reflections on society and the direction in which is seems to be going. Pocaro gives the intensity of the emotion a firm grounding that helps balance White’s performance.
Pocaro’s biggest challenge comes as the Ragman is given the dauntingly unenviable task of defending the morally bankrupt investors in a mock trial before local citizens and a group of madwomen. Caitlin Kujawski Compton, Christine Horgen and stately Milwaukee drag queen Maple Veneer serve as a vividly charming trio of madwomen who have come to aid in the proceedings. An establishing dialogue between White and the three of them has a life all its own. The fantasy of their madness is the production’s single most seductive element. Globally we’ve fallen into a bit of a mess. The world needs the sensitivities and sensibilities of its madwomen now more than ever.
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Through June 24 at Off the Wall Theatre, 127 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-484-8874 or visit zivacat.com/offthewalltheatre.
