By Vicki Paris Goodman
Arts & Entertainment Editor
I think the title character of Good Night Mrs. Puffin could be one of the great literary characters of all time. Given the right time, place, genre or marketing, as well as the proper casting, Mrs. Puffin could fascinate the public in much the same way Jane Eyre, Mary Poppins and even Harry Potter have awed them. She is that interesting, especially as portrayed by actress Yvonne Robertson.
The delightful British comedy by Arthur Lovegrove is a romantic charmer, humorously stereotyping the parental attitudes of the British upper crust.
Mrs. Puffin, a sort of middle-aged Eliza Doolittle who never had the benefit of Henry Higgins’ etiquette and dialect coaching, shows up unexpectedly on the doorstep of the Fordyce residence a week before their daughter’s wedding.
The female stranger is scarcely welcome amid the pre-wedding hubbub. Mrs. Puffin is nevertheless determined to stay long enough to relate her recent vivid and prophetic dream foretelling the immediate future of the Fordyce family. Her cockney accent in full flower, Mrs. Puffin relates, most importantly, that the wedding between Jacky Fordyce (Rebecca Cherkoss) and Victor Parker (Shane Cullum) will not take place, as Jacky will instead be swept off her feet by another man.
Since a merging of two family businesses rides on the “merging” of Jacky and Victor, Jacky’s parents Ethel and Henry Fordyce (Geraldine Fuentes and Timothy Forsyth) become apoplectic, immediately discrediting Mrs. Puffin’s claims as sheer lunacy and imploring the woman to leave and never return.
By this time, however, Mrs. Puffin has successfully predicted a number of minor incidents that have all come to pass in short order, including the unfortunate shattering of Mrs. Fordyce’s favorite china tea set.
Although the elder Fordyces are intent upon their denial, Jacky and her sister Pamela (Nicole Cannis) become more and more open to what the increasingly credible Mrs. Puffin has to say. And their brother Nicolas, played with a fabulous mocking overconfidence by Cort Huckabone, has come to downright worship the woman.
With the younger set on her side, Mrs. Puffin manages to overstay her welcome and see the dream’s prophecy to its predictable but enchanting culmination.
The formidable Bruce Thomas Eason plays Victor’s stuffy father, Stephen Parker. American “Don Juan” Roger Vincent gets a slightly overenthusiastic delivery from actor Scotty Walker. But he is cute. Victoria Strong turns in a nice performance as Annie the maid.
Cullum’s handling of his role as the dull (his character’s words, how sweet) yet upstanding Victor deserves special mention for the heart-thumping compassion that Victor inspires.
What puzzled me is how Lovegrove’s play made it to this point in such a rough state. I have seldom seen a play, except at new works readings, that was so badly in need of editing. The comedy’s protracted two-and-a-half hour duration is completely unnecessary, especially considering the simplicity of the story line.
David Colley’s direction only exacerbates the length problem with its maddening drawing out of suspenseful moments. Better direction might have minimized the feeling that the play, especially its first act, is way too long.
There was also an unfortunate tendency of actors to remain in one place too long, thereby obstructing for an extended period some audience members’ view of the character who was speaking.
In spite of the play’s overindulgent length, I would still highly recommend Good Night Mrs. Puffin for its imaginative story, its nice (yes, nice) characters and the intriguing, endearing Mrs. Puffin.
Good Night Mrs. Puffin continues on the Long Beach Playhouse Mainstage through December 15. General admission tickets are $22; $20 for seniors. Student tickets are $12 on Fridays and Saturdays with valid student ID. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees on December 9, January 6 and 13 at 2 p.m.
Call (562) 494-1014 for reservations and information. Tickets are also available online at www.lbph.com.
