Trying
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Mozo, Mandell
Photo by Michael Lamont
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By Melinda Schupmann
This so familiar tale of two people brought together by circumstance becomes extraordinary in the hands of director Cameron Watson and actors Rebecca Mozo and Alan Mandell. Based on a true story by gifted playwright Joanna McClelland Glass, it concerns a young secretary, Sarah Schorr, who goes to work for the difficult and aging Judge Francis Biddle.
On her arrival in 1967, she was told by her new boss that this would be his final year of life. She was engaged by Biddle’s wife and told that he previously had experienced a long series of secretaries who had not been able to tough out working for him. Promising to “try,” and make this association a success, Schorr thus begins a profound relationship with this autocratic curmudgeon.
Biddle’s biography is impressive. He was a great-great grandson of Edmund Randolph, a delegate to the Continental Congress and the first Attorney General of the United States. Biddle was a Harvard graduate who worked as a secretary to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. In the 30s he was appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the National Labor Relations Board, and, following that, became an appointee as Solicitor General of the United States. His experience caused him to leave that post fairly soon and become the U. S. Attorney General. Following other prominent positions, he became a judge at the Nuremberg trials.
Glass deftly weaves this biography into exchanges Biddle has with “Sarah with an H,” as he rants, rails, and struggles with his diminishing physical and mental capacities. He possesses a brilliant mind, and, at first, mocks 25-year-old Sarah’s Saskatchewan beginnings. Her forthright manner and persistence pay off though, and she is able to gain the trust and confidence of Biddle.
Mandell and Mozo are outstanding in their characterizations. Mandell beautifully captures the spirit of this senescent character as he shares poetry and history with his youthful assistant. Mozo manages, with a range of emotional reactions, to be both feisty and deferential as she navigates Biddle’s decline.
Director Cameron Watson’s understanding of these characters makes the performance riveting, humorous, and completely without artifice. It is hard to imagine a better team to bring this impressive play to life.
Skilled as always, Victoria Profitt’s beautifully articulated set creates a perfect backdrop for the garage office of Judge Biddle. Jared Sayeg’s lighting and Cricket Myers’ sound designs compliment Profitt’s work. A. Jeffrey Schoenberg’s costumes revive the 60s most authentically.
This is a very special play. Its intelligence, warmth, and heart makes it a must-see theatrical offering.
Presented at the Colony Theatre Company, 555 North Third Street, Burbank. (818-558-7000) Fri. & Sat. at 8; Sun. at 2 and 7. $37.00 and $42.00. Additional performances on Sat., August 18 & 25 and Thurs. Aug. 30 & Sept. 6 at 8. Closes Sun. Sept. 9, 2007.
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