One of the first documented book clubs was formed by Anne Hutchinson aboard a ship bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 in order to discuss sermons on Puritan beliefs. Although book club membership was predominantly female throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Harry Scherman founded the Book-of-the-Month Club in 1926, a mail-order service still popular today, which was supportive of female authors and included women among the panel of judges who decided which books were worthy of selection. During the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s, many book clubs became “consciousness-raising,” connecting personal experience to political ideology. Continuing the trend, Oprah Winfrey established her book club in 1996, and her endorsement guaranteed a book’s success—and still does, although the club ended in 2010.
Director Laura Kepley has aptly brought all elements of the play together to provide a wonderful evening of comedy…helps to remind us how important social interaction is to our lives and how much we can learn from our fellow human beings.
“The Book Club Play,” by DC playwright Karen Zacarías and now at Everyman Theatre, premiered at the Round House Theatre in 2009. The script was revised in 2011 for the Berkshire Theater Festival and DC’s Arena Stage and revised again in 2013 for the Cincinnati Playhouse. Although billed as a contemporary comedy, this production provides many belly laughs through physical comedy known in vaudevillian days as “schtick”—pratfalls, characters falling over furniture, bumping into each other, jumping out of windows, coming from out of a box, and chases. The plot concerns events resulting from a provocative new member joining a devoted book club during the making of a documentary film. The ensuing chaos offers reflections on the love of literature, friendship, and life in general.
Director Laura Kepley has aptly brought all elements of the Helen Hayes Award-winning play together to provide a wonderful evening of comedy which comments on many facets of today’s society. I especially enjoyed how she maneuvered the actors around to look at and away from the documentarian’s camera (unseen by the audience). Everyman Resident Company members Megan Anderson (Jennifer McClintock), Tony Nam (William Lee Nothnagel), Tuyết Thị Phạm (Ana Smith), and Zack Powell (Alex) did their usual excellent work of portraying lively and interesting characters with complicated emotions—a continuing reminder of the value of working closely together over the years in many varied productions. They are frequently complemented with non-resident actors, in this case Steve Polites, portraying Robert Novum Smith, the host and husband of Ana, the hostess/founder of the club. He tries to fit into the book club discussions by watching the movie versions rather than actually reading the books. Special congratulations to Majenta Thomas for her comedic timing and very likable characterization of young journalist, Lily Louise Jackson. She is the hidden jewel in the Box Office, and I hope to see her again on the Everyman stage.
I have deliberately saved Bruce Randolph Nelson for last because his acting skills are and have been so remarkable each time I have seen him in Everyman and Center Stage productions over many years. In this play, he portrays “Pundit,” several characters who comment on various aspects of the plot, briefly between scenes, as a sort of solitary Greek chorus. The characters are both male and female, dressed in wonderfully funny costumes. Nelson has a way of emphasizing his characters’ dialogue with very subtle, but extremely witty mannerisms and expressions. His diction is precise and his speech is never hurried. Comic or dramatic lines are never thrown too quickly but left with just enough pause between for us to enjoy the moment.
Long-time features of book club meetings are food and drink. The characters constantly hit the wine bottle, especially in moments of personal revelation or confrontation, and the hors d’oeuvres abound. Stage manager Cat Wallis keeps her house in order! The set design by Andrew Cohen is a very pretty, suburban living room with staircase, plenty of built-ins (loaded with books of course), an open kitchen, contemporary furniture with matching drapes, and light blue painted walls.
I enjoyed David Burdick’s costume designs, especially the bow ties, the ”hippie” clothes, and the very classy costumes of Ana, the typical suburban hostess, which changed for every book club meeting throughout the show. Each outfit perfectly fit the personality and occupation of the character. The projection design by Kelly Colburn was very impressive. Above the proscenium, each character’s name appeared in large, white letters over a black background as well as the titles of some of the books mentioned in the play. Projected on the sides of the proscenium were designs appropriate to each book, e.g., a whale for “Moby Dick.” A description of each “pundit” character, not listed in the program, also appeared with the name. Thanks to Adam Mendelson’s sound design, I left the theater singing along with The Monotones’ 1957 recording of “Who Wrote the Book of Love.”
“The Book Club Play” touches upon almost as many aspects of society as the thirty-plus, well-known books mentioned in the play itself. The comedy helps to remind us how important social interaction is to our lives and how much we can learn from our fellow human beings. One particular theme I found most thought provoking is that, although authors can control their characters’ actions and emotions in a book, no person can control the thoughts and emotions of another in life. We all live “from cover to cover” in our own way.
Running Time: Two hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.
Advisory: Contains mild language and adult situations. Recommended for Ages 13+.
“The Book Club Play” runs through April 14, 2024 at Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette Street, Baltimore MD 21201. For more information and to purchase tickets, please call the Box Office at 410-752-2208, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday, 12 noon-4 p.m. or visit online.