“A Curious Savage” a gentle, sweet comedy at the Valley Repertory Company

ENFIELD — The lovely thing about community theater is you get a chance to see shows that rarely see the light of day.
Take “The Curious Savage,” written about 50 years ago by John Patrick and running at the Valley Repertory Theater in the Thompsonville section of Enfield.
The play is set in the 40’s, presumably after World War II, but before the invention of the radio.
A wealthy widow, Mrs. Savage, played with magnanimity by Jane Maulucci, has been committed to a private asylum by her greedy step-children — the U.S. Senator, Titus; Lily Belle; and Samuel, played by Mark Vogel, Lisa Coleman Hasty, and Eddie Burke respectively.
Savage says of Titus that the only reason the voters elect him to the U.S. Senate is to keep him out of the state.
The three want the $10 million in bonds that Mrs. Savage has squirreled away somewhere, and they won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, while she does her best to use their greed to her advantage.
Why have they done such a heinous act of placing her in a mental institution? Because she wants all the money to go to her memorial fund which she calls her “happiness fund,” where she gives away grants for acts of random kindness, like giving an Italian man $200 to buy a gravestone for his beloved dead horse.
The characters in the asylum are revealed one by one, and each has a charm and sweetness to them, which, compared to the greedy threesome, brings up the obvious question, who are the crazy ones?
There’s the war survivor Jeffrey, sensitively played by Logan Lopez; the high strung violinist, Hannibal (Charles Schoenfeld); the forlorn mother, Florence (Lisa Eaton); the angry and silent Mrs. Paddy (Jan Albetski); the assistant with a secret Miss Willie (Lorrie Bacon); and the delightful Fairy May played with fragile delicacy and superb comic timing by Janine Flood.
When plain, sweet Fairy May learns a new resident is on the way she says with a sigh, “I hope she isn’t beautiful. Competition exhausts me.” She later says to Savage, “You’re very generous for your size and weight.” It’s really funny and all character driven.
Vogel and Burke are great as the nasty selfish sons, but Hasty as Lily Belle has spoiled rotten down to a science. And can that woman scream and swoon and be mean as only the ultra-rich can afford to be. She borders on the edge of camp, but keeps it believable.
At one point Lily Belle cries out in abject dejection and defeat, wailing, “I don’t know how to be poor,” when she learns that all the money is gone. Or is it? That’s part of the fun in this terrific play that should not be missed.
The set by Eric Albetski, is a solid and well-appointed living room in the asylum, and the actors all move about naturally and comfortably in the space, with confident direction by Patty Coope Piellucci.
Just when you start thinking that an asylum might be a nice world to retreat to, the resident physician, Dr. Emmett, played with authority by Sue Reese, says, “They have found refuge in an eggshell world. ” Then you know that hiding from the world is not the answer, as tempting as it might appear.
The play is a clever and interesting who-done-it that keeps you guessing throughout. But the real delight of this precious play is in the language and the gentle, subtle, and sweet acting, with loving direction by Piellucci.
Time and again Valley Repertory Theater comes up with unusual and touching shows, as they have once again with “A Curious Savage.”

A CURIOUS SAVAGE

3 Stars
Theater: Valley Repertory Company
Location: 100 High Street, Enfield
Production: Written by John Patrick. Directed by Patty Coope Peillucci. Produced by Jan Albetski. Stage manager Jason Fregeau. Set and lighting design and technical direction by Eric Albetski.
Running time: 2 ½ hours, with one intermission
Show Times: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through Nov. 21.
Tickets: $12, $10 for seniors over 60 and youth under 12. Call 860-749-4665 or visit their website at www.valleyrep.com
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Jane Maulucci … Mrs. Savage
Lisa Eaton … Florence
Charles Schoenfeld … Hannibal
Janine Flood … Fairy May
Logan Lopez … Jeffrey
Jan Albetski … Mrs. Paddy
Lorrie Bacon … Miss Willie
Mark Vogel … Titus
Lisa Coleman Hasty … Lily Belle
Eddie Burke … Samuel
Sue Reese … Dr. Emmett