left-to-right, top-bottom: Lisa Ludwig, Paul Todaro, Jim Mohr, and Anne Gayley star in "The Cocktail Hour"

(photo: Irene Haupt)

At long last, Buffalo can see A.R. Gurney’s 1988 play, The Cocktail Hour. After The Dining Room, The Cocktail Hour is arguably Gurney’s most celebrated play, and yet, because it is partially autobiographical, the playwright never allowed it to be performed here in his hometown. After the death of his mother, however, Gurney relented, and the Kavinoky Theatre successfully obtained the rights.

The original production—which originated at the Old Globe in San Diego, under the direction of Jack O’Brien—famously starred Buffalonian Nancy Marchand as an upper-class Buffalo matron whose son comes home, announcing that he has written a play—about the family.

Writing for the New York Times, Frank Rich said, “The laughter in Act I is almost continuous, and much of it is prompted by Ms. Marchand’s irresistible suburban grande dame…Just to hear the actress order a refill of her martini—a frequent occurrence—is to get a lesson in comic timing and inflection.”

Anne Gayley, resident Grande Dame of the Kavinoky Theatre plays the role in this production, giving the part her individual stamp. Whereas Marchand had been stalwart in her control of her frustrations, Gayley allows the woman to slip, just perceptibly, into inebriation before nudging the evening back under her control.

Jim Mohr is very appealing as the husband, in a performance that renders the man far more vulnerable and considerably less laughable than Keene Curtis’s original. The interpretation is very effective and serves the play admirably.

Lisa Ann Ludwig who often tilts toward the presentational, here employs her realistic side in a most satisfying portrayal of the daughter, originally played by Holland Taylor.

Paul Todaro wrestles with the role that is generally agreed to be the knot of the scripts difficulties. In this effort, he employs his familiar charm and good humor, and generously hands most of the laughs to those around him.

Depending on your personal history with Gurney, The Cocktail Hour is either worth waiting for, or nice to see again in this most handsome production, directed by David Lamb.

(Incidentally, the detail that blocked the play from production involves a possible marital infidelity on the part of Ann, the mother character. Marital infidelity is a common theme in Gurney’s plays and also serves as a plot device in Ancestral Voices. The playwright has long since admitted that this real life event in these plays is a reference to his grandmother—not his mother).

To respond to this article, e-mail editorial@artvoice.com or write to: Artvoice, 810 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14202