Also this issue:

In Bloom
The Rosenbach Museum’s slew of upcoming Ulysses programs will entertain Joyce devotees and newcomers alike.
-Toby Zinman

Rocking the Boat

Theater

-Morgen Rossmair

He Held Me Grand

Theater

-Morgen Rossmair

One More One Man of La Mancha

Theater

-Debra Auspitz

From Generation to Generation

Art

-Lori Hill

May 23-29, 2002

theater

Royal Treatment

by David Anthony Fox

Princess IvonaThrough June 2, Theatre Exile at Lantern Theater, 923 Ludlow St., 215-922-4462

It’s a favorite fantasy that a young woman, not born to royalty but worthy because of her charm, goodness and beauty, is so elevated. These stories are the subject of fables of many cultures. They even happen occasionally in real life -- Charles and Diana, of course, and going back further, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.

What we have here might be called Princess Graceless. Meet Ivona, a gawky, fish-faced, near-mute. She has no bearing, no social skills -- we don't even know what she's thinking. Yet she is the chosen bride of dashing Prince Philip, much to the consternation of his court (and, most especially, his parents, King Ignatius and Queen Margaret).

Witold Gombrowicz's Princess Ivona is a fairy tale, of course (what Prince really marries an ugly woman?), but a darkly modern one, full of intriguing ideas. Because Ivona herself is so opaque, she serves as a kind of empty canvas on which those who surround her project themselves and their wishes. Thus, the romantic and feckless Prince finds her irresistible, while his worldlier companions see only a clod. She makes the insecure comfortable, the pompous smugly self-assured. Yes, Ivona has some value. But royalty is royalty. Such a creature might be tolerated as a source of momentary amusement, but surely not more than that. Ultimately, she must be stopped.

Since Gombrowicz's death in 1969, the Polish author and playwright (whose work was censored during much of his lifetime) is increasingly recognized as a theatrical visionary. In particular, his plays can be seen as precursors to the absurdist movement. (Princess Ivona was written in 1938.)

Perhaps it's this link that has brought Theatre Exile and director David Disbrow to Princess Ivona. (Last year, Disbrow and the company mounted Ionesco's Rhinoceros.) Certainly the production style revels in its absurdist links. Disbrow and company give us a snappy, updated look and feel, and place the piece within a set of painted flats that are as unspecific as Ivona herself. A more concrete staging might better show off the play's surprising detours from realism, but on its own terms, Theatre Exile's version is expertly produced and acted. Amy Smith (Ivona) is appropriately gauche; Quinn Bauriedel is amusingly ardent. Best of all are Tom McCarthy and Jane Moore as the king and queen -- these two cagey veterans don't miss a trick!