The Island Calls

Mary Rose – Black Button Eyes Productions

A lonely military Chaplain asks for a tour of a dark, drafty English mansion in Sussex. It’s rumored that the home is haunted by the ghost of a young woman. The caretaker of the now-abandoned estate is the grim, elderly housekeeper, Mrs. Otery. When the Chaplain asks if she might offer him a cup of tea she agrees, but very reluctantly leaves him alone in the drawing room. Before she goes, Mrs. Otery warns the young man to not touch anything, particularly the ornate, wooden door that’s the focal point of the room. Of course he disobeys her orders and suddenly a strange young woman appears out of the misty recesses of the chamber. She is Mary Rose, whose eerie story she then relates to the Chaplain.

It seems that back when Mary Rose was a young girl, her father, Mr. Morland took his daughter on holiday to Scotland. While he was fishing he left his daughter to play alone on a small island, but when he went to fetch her Mary Rose had mysteriously vanished. The entire island was exhaustively searched, but to no avail. Three weeks later Mary Rose mysteriously reappeared but without any knowledge of her whereabouts or any noticeable effects of her disappearance. 

Years later, the young woman marries Simon, a kind young man whom she’s known since childhood. A few years after the birth of their son, Mary Rose persuades her husband to take her on holiday to that same locale in Scotland. Once again, the Island calls to her, and when she returns there Mary Rose disappears once more. This time she’s missing for several decades and resumed dead. During her absence, Simon passes away and the couple’s young son grows to adulthood. But then Mary Rose mysteriously reappears—once again without having aged a day since her disappearance.

J.M. Barrie was an Edwardian Scottish novelist and playwright who’s best known as the creator of Peter Pan. This new adaptation of one of the his lesser-known plays is a charming, magical theatrical treat, a perfect way to begin the New Year. Several of his familiar themes from the Neverland stories are present here, particularly the idea of fairies and a child who doesn’t age in a parallel world.

 This beautiful, alluring, 90-minute one-act adaptation of Barrie’s play was written and directed by Producing Artistic Director of Black Button Eyes Productions, Ed Rutherford. The score for this miniature musical is often haunting and melodramatic, yet sometimes light and whimsical. The musical accompaniment and songs both further the plot and add an ethereal quality to the production. The music is the creation of talented Chicago composer, Jeff Bouthiette, with lyrics co-created by Bouthiette and Rutherford. The show’s Musical Director is the talented Nick Sula, who also conducts his offstage chamber orchestra, consisting of keyboard, violin, cello and percussion.

A welcome, familiar face from many of Black Button Eyes’ productions is the gifted, multitalented Kevin Webb. After recently playing the title role in the company’s “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” Mr. Webb is again superb as the Chaplain. His gorgeous, velvety voice and superb dramatic skill lends itself particularly well to this musical production. The intensity with which he plays this role, especially in his musical monologue “What Am I Doing Here?” drives the story-within-the-story and delivers a powerful, unexpected punch at the end.

He’s matched by lovely Stephanie Stockstill, another familiar face from several Black Button Eyes Productions. She portrays the tormented title character, sometimes with girlish glee, often with tortured gravity. Ms Stockstill has a crystal clear operatic voice that fills the theater with melody and honesty. The actress is especially wonderful in her duet with Webb, “There Was a Girl.” She truly captures the gossamer character that Barrie created so many years ago in “It’s Like a Dream” and “The Marsh King’s Daughter.”

Maiko Terazawa and Quinn Corrigan (filling in opening night as understudy for Jonathan Schwart) are terrific as Mary Rose’s protective parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morland. Both have mastered the exaggerated style of acting that’s associated with melodrama, without giving over to over-the-top histrionics. And each of these fine actors display trained voices that help support the story, especially Ms Terazawa in her “A Misty Lake in Scotland.”

Maxel Schingen, a newcomer to Chicago, brings boyish bewitchery and masculine maturity to the role of Simon. He also displays a fine singing voice, particularly in his whimsical number as a young man, “Better Man Since Breakfast.” As Mrs. Otery, the feisty housekeeper of the haunted manse, Rosalind Hurwitz is another actor making her Black Button Eyes debut, although she’s been seen in several other Chicago productions. She’s in fine voice and is fierce and devoted as the matronly housekeeper, whose goal it is to protect the estate where no human has lived for decades (“A Manor House in Sussex”). And Michael Reyes, a seasoned veteran of several Chicago productions, does a fine job as Cameron, the Scottish caretaker of the Highland property where Mary Rose disappears. His “The Island is Lonely” is a haunting story song, nicely sung, that supplies many of the missing clues in this ghostly legend.

Additional artistry is provided in Derek Van Barham’s simple, yet effective choreography. Jeremiah Barr’s creative scenic and property designs, augmented by Liz Cooper’s atmospheric lighting, add period color and several unexpected surprises to help tell this mysterious, melancholy tale. Beth Laske-Miller has done a fine job creating Victorian and Edwardian costumes that help deliver the audience into the proper place and time.

This highly anticipated, magically mesmerizing musical adaptation of Sir James M. Barrie’s forgotten play is simply enchanting. The story was said to have piqued the interest of Alfred Hitchcock, back in the day. However, the film was never made. In one of several revival stage productions, “Mary Rose” was called “an elegantly plotted ghost story;” and a London critic remarked that the 2012 English revival of the play featured some of the familiar tropes found in his Peter Pan stories, such as “a child who cannot grow up and a meditation on loss and death.” Jeff Bouthiette’s delicate melodies often bring to mind the score of Marsha Norman’s romantic, supernatural musical, “The Secret Garden.” But when pondering the entire piece again, this production, so nicely adapted and directed by Ed Rutherford, could easily be fashioned into a short opera, much in the vein of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Medium.” Yes, “Mary Rose” is really that good.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented January 7-February 12 by Black Button Eyes Productions at the The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available by going to www.maryrosemusical.evenbrite.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.