John Horan
"Dividing the Estate" stars Josh Quinn, Irene Crist and David Foster. It's playing at Circuit Playhouse through Sunday.
The Circuit Playhouse staging of "Dividing the Estate" has a great deal of fun skewering the somewhat well-off folks who are primarily absorbed in themselves.
Horton Foote's dark comedy sets up the Gordons, a Texas family headed by matriarch Stella (Irene Crist), who is resolute and flaky. In her orbit are her grown children and their families who love her with all the devotion of those dependent on her control of the family fortune.
The fortune is more in property than cash, however, and nobody quite seems to have enough, although there is some sentiment about dividing the estate so that everyone gets their share and can move on with their dreams.
The array of family members, lovers and servants is a rich source for the satire that follows as we observe priorities colliding with habit, love and jealousy.
There are fine performances throughout. Crist again brings plenty of brio to the kind of role she's accustomed to having: the indomitable force.
Barclay Roberts nails the part of Bob, the scheming and desperate son-in-law who enjoys arguing his point. And Anthony E. Bell is a delight as the nonagenarian manservant who has shaped the family as much as anyone, yet serves as a reminder that even the most beloved African-American servants who are thought of as "family" won't get that big a slice of the pie.
In the role of Lucille, Emily Peckham does wonders being the complacent sister, and David Foster does fine work as the dissolute brother Lewis. Christina Wellford Scott as sister Mary Jo is spot on as the willful Type A conniver.
If you saw "August: Osage County" just a few months ago at Playhouse on the Square, you couldn't help but notice similarities. Crist, for example, as the head of a dysfunctional family where circumstances bring out the worst in most everyone involved.
"Dividing the Estate" is the paler version of the tale on several accounts. It is gentler and somewhat old-fashioned. The jokes are less frequent and less barbed.
"August," meanwhile, used high-octane subject matter and was better integrated in performances as well. Individual performances in "Dividing the Estate" often operated with little connection to the rest of the cast.
But it remains an overall satisfying night out at the theater and worth checking out -- even if you end up squirming a bit.
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'Dividing the Estate'
Performances continue at Circuit Playhouse, 51 S. Cooper, through Sunday. Performances are today through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets: $28 today and Sunday; $33 Friday and Saturday; $20 seniors/students/military; $10 children (under age). Call (901) 726-4656 or go to playhouseonthesquare.org.
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