The Madwoman of Chaillot

Amy Singewald must be one of those 60-year old Cliffies who pitter into an English history course two minutes late while the professor indulgently holds up his lecture. Somehow the boys at Kirkland House talked this nice old lady into assuming the title role of The Madwoman of Chaillot, a despicable effort to save some money in make-up and costumes.

I certainly hope they're satisfied; sweet Miss Singewald pitters away with their show, and they better check the Kirkland House silverware and stationery before they lock up.

Giraudoux's play needs Miss Singewald. Its concave philosophy -- the rich, destructive, conformist bad guys against the poor, poetic good guys -- wouldn't float in the Dead Sea without a strong focus on the heroine. For example, it all comes right in the second act, as three madwomen (Miss Singewald, Valerie Clark, and Carla Barringer) amicably enter Miss Singewald's basement to plan the elimination of the world's evil men. They attack each other, apologize, criticize, contradict, dare, resolve, shift positions, and conclude as amicably as when they came in. And in the end, the world's evil men are eliminated.

Director Richard Gottlieb and his evil men (Allan Shapiro, Mike Civin, Bill Gray, and John Burslem) go for easy laughs occasionally, but spin some clever scenes, particularly their demonstration of a stock maneuver with salt shakers balanced on wine glasses.

As the mandatory young lovers, Chris Sorenson produces some shameless mugging, while Margaret Stanback speaks her role well but hardly resembles a woman who has seen all and done all.

Joshua Rubins turns in an outstanding monologue in each of the two acts. A ponderous fellow, Rubins is light on his feet and shuffles his weight around the stage well as he declaims on the old stand-by, evil. Lucy Freedman is, uh, compelling, as a streetwalker.

Despite wayward lighting and some shaky scenery, all eyes remain on Amy Singewald in The Madwoman of Chaillot. And when the evil people are banished from the world, when pigeons fly again, air turns to crystal, grass sprouts on pavements, and perfect strangers hug each other, the shaking scenery seems part of the celebration.