Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Elizabeth Baker’s Shaw-lite THE PRICE OF THOMAS SCOTT is lovingly resuscitated by the Mint

• By drediman
• February 21, 2019
• No Comments

Tracy Sallows, Donald Corren, and Emma Geer in the Mint Theater Company’s production of Elizabeth Baker’s “The Price of Thomas Scott” at Theatre Row. Photo by Todd Cerveris.

Last night, the Mint’s production of The Price of Thomas Scott by Elizabeth Baker opened Off-Broadway at Theatre Row. The staging remains true to the Mint’s mandate – to resuscitate lost plays of the past and “mint” them anew. In this case, Ms. Baker’s play has only seen only a single production, one that was presented at the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester, England more than a century ago in 1913. The play tells the story of a very religious shop-owner – the titular Thomas Scott – who is given the opportunity to cash out of his declining business and provide for his family when a former acquaintance offers to buy his store (for a handsome sum) in order to turn it into dance hall. The thing is, Thomas, given his extreme conservatism, is deeply opposed to dancing.

I would be hard pressed to classify The Price of Thomas Scott a masterpiece – which is not really a problem; not all plays need be. Indeed, I’d rather be newly exposed to this play rather than sit through yet another mediocre production of, say, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. The play is good-humored throughout most of its brisk intermission-less running time (relatively strange for a play of this era), with a good measure of Fiddler on the Roof-like moral dilemma thrown in (coincidentally, that classic musical is currently in previews next door). In fact, Ms. Baker so deliberately telegraphs the play’s moral arguments and points of view, resulting in a black-and-white drama that’s surprisingly mostly devoid of tension. Hence, I would assess the work to be a sort of a pleasant George Bernard Shaw-lite play that goes down very easily, thanks in large part to the Mint’s attractive production.

As usual, the production is lovingly and steadily directed by the Mint’s artistic director Jonathan Bank. The acting admirably followed suit, with a set of transparent, good natured performances that carefully and respectfully lets Ms. Baker’s play speak for itself. The show looks beautifully put together, as well, as designed by Vicki R. Davis (sets) and Hunter Kazcorowski (costumes). Their work is appropriately well-worn and period-perfect; much research has obviously gone into their designs, which fit snugly on the Beckett Theatre stage.

RECOMMENDED

THE PRICE OF THOMAS SCOTT
Off-Broadway, Play
Mint Theater Company at Theatre Row
1 hour, 25 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 23