Review of The First Lady- An Autocrat Gets Her Comeuppance

 

Elizabeth Elias Huffman as First Lady and Doren Elias as Elish Photo Credit PICT Theatre

          PICT Theatre’s U.S. premiere staging of Turkish/French playwright, Sedef Ecer’s, political satire The First Lady opens on a government ministers meeting in a hypothetical country somewhere in Mesopotamia.

          Seen on video on a pair of screens on either side of the stage, the trio of officials (Art DeConsillis, Ricardo Vila-Roger and John Dolphin) scramble for a solution to the large-scale demonstrations taking place in the capital streets against their authoritarian regime,

          The president has fled the country, and the crisis seems to be growing larger with every passing hour. “What do we do?” they ask one another in desperation.

          They decide to enlist the help of the country’s first lady, leisurely vacationing in a palace and completely unaware of the dire circumstances of the regime headed by her husband.

          With scant time left to right things, the ministers decide to have her appear live on television in an interview with an unseasoned, young journalist named Yasmine (Milia Ayache), whose regular beat has been covering news events related to fishing. Already, the audience is being prepared for the absurd hilarity that will follow.

          Soon we find Yasmin at the royal palace, being prepared for the interview and prompted by what’s left of the staff as to what to ask and what issues to be avoided.

          In the golden draped reception room created by scenic designer, Sasha Jin Schwartz, where everything carries a gilded gloss, Yasmine finds only Elish (Doren Elias), the queen’s bodyguard/advisor and Gazal (Treasure Treasure) to assist her for her big moment interview.

          At first, Yasmine is skittish and shy, daunted by the vestiges of the first lady’s wealth and power. When Elizabeth Elias Huffmas as the First Lady first appears on stage, her regal presence and attire are certainly intimidating. But, as the plays moves forward, the Lady’s position is constantly eroded by a series of negative reports regarding the scope of the rebellion and what I call the Wizard of Oz effect sets in. The initial impression of invincibility segues into one of vulnerability, and Yasmine grows ever more assertive.

          The Lady does have quite a bit of emotional support during the crisis. Elish is a stalwart at first, but even more supportive is the Lady’s clothing designer, a transsexual named Gazal, who fawns over her like a worker bee over the queen of the hive.

   Gazal, it seems, has a narcissistic view of herself and her design abilities and literally glows in the colorful dress she wears that reminded me of the images connected with the peacock throne of the last shah of Iran.

She’s grateful to the Lady for rescuing her from the insults and assaults from the homophobic society she lived in and seems quite at home with her new life in the royal palace.

          Treasure Treasure brings a lot of energy and humor to her role. Her character may not be the brightest candle in the chandelier, but she knows how to relate to and massage the Lady’s psyche for her own benefit.

As the First Lady, Huffman dominates the stage from the moment she first enters the room. She nicely balances her character’s privileged position with an ever-growing vulnerability as the news of her situation grows ever more perilous.

          I was most impressed, perhaps, with Elias’ depiction of Elish. He seemed to have the strength of a sultan mixed with a dram or two of mercenary self-interest. He conveys an aura of wisdom, strength and pragmatism who transitionsd into one dominated by a sense of self-preservation as the political situation grows ever more disastrous.

Director Adil Mansoor certainly revved up the action and energy level as the characters clamored for any sign of safe haven and became almost hyper as the characters trapped in a French farce.

Near the end, the playwright grows solemn with an advisory note advocating against the ills of an autocratic state It’s an apt message that allows its audience to consider its relevance to today’s political landscape, both at home and abroad.

First Lady, a U.S. premiere by PICT Theatre, is at the Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main Street in Carnegie, through October 11. For tickets, phone 818-438-8418 or go to  https://pictclassictheatre.ludus.com/index.php.

Special events related to the production include a Sunday Talkback after the October 5 matinee and a Turkish and French Cultural Celebration with belly dancing, an Egyptian keyboardist, Mid-Eastern and French desserts plus a conversation with the playwright and translator in a Pay What You Can evening performance on October 7.

There’s also a Meet the Playwright Dinner at DeBlaze 131 at 5 p.m. on October 10 and a Post-Matinee Talkback on October 11.

Here's a video that helps prepare you for the performance. Click Here.