Personal, political clash in Northlight's thought-provoking 'Conversation'
Politics become painfully personal in Anthony Giardina's enthralling “The City of Conversation,” making a thought-provoking Midwest premiere at Skokie's Northlight Theatre. First staged by Lincoln Center Theater in 2014, “The City of Conversation” feels even more timely and prescient in light of the current contentious election season and Senate battles over Supreme Court nominees.
Giardina sets his play in 1979 in the refined home of Hester Ferris (Lia D. Mortensen), a fictional Washington, D.C., society maven representative of the influential “Georgetown set.” In the mid-20th century, these elite hostesses exerted soft power by inviting rival politicians to cozy dinner parties in a generous show of bipartisanship.
Yet the unashamedly left-leaning Ferris sees her impact wane as the Carter administration gives way to the Reagan era.
Another challenge comes from Anna Fitzgerald (Mattie Hawkinson), an ambitious conservative from Minnesota who arrives on the arm of Ferris' grown son, Colin (Greg Matthew Anderson). The two have returned after studying abroad, and Ferris will later be horrified to discover that Fitzgerald has turned her son's head in more ways than one.
The uncomfortable and increasingly bitter partisan divide within the family comes to a head after a dinner party. Ferris' lover, the Democratic Senator Chandler Harris (Tim Decker), tries to get Republican Senator George Mallonee (Tim Monsion) to change a planned vote. Yet Fitzgerald emboldens Mallonee and his wife, Carolyn (Elaine Rivkin), to rebuke elite D.C. liberals and hold firm to their views on integration.
As Giardina depicts it, any D.C. decorum as exemplified by his Henry James-inspired play title eroded during America's conservative redirection under Reagan. All this is explicitly laid out when the action jumps ahead to 1987 amid an all-out Ferris family battle, this time over real-life conservative Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork.
Caught in the crossfire are Ferris' widowed sister, Jean Swift (Natalie West), and especially Ferris' grandchild (Tyler Kaplan).
By the play's epilogue-like conclusion, set on the evening of President Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009, there's a symbolic introduction of an African-American grad student named Donald Logan (Brian Keys). Donald's bittersweet appearance helps drive home the repercussions of Ferris pitting her political beliefs against family loyalty.
Giardina's script provides plenty of meaty material for director Marti Lyons' marvelous cast. Mortensen shines as she shows Ferris adapting her political tactics when her once-esteemed position in D.C. society all but dissipates.
Hawkinson brings as much humanity to the “bad-guy” role of Fitzgerald as possible. Yet it's likely that not just conservatives will find fault in Giardina's depiction of Fitzgerald, who comes across as unrelentingly calculating and coldhearted.
And in terms of historical accuracy, Northlight makes a tiny detail error by featuring a VHS copy of the Disney animated film “Cinderella” as a plot-turning prop. The scene takes place in 1987, but Disney's “Cinderella” wasn't commercially released for home video until 1988.
Despite these minor gaffes, “The City of Conversation” skillfully holds the audiences' attention throughout. More importantly, Giardina challenges audiences to contemplate how they would react should political beliefs clash with family ties. With the presidential election approaching, it's an important conversation for both individuals and society.
“The City of Conversation”
★ ★ ★
Location: Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, (847) 673-6300,
Showtimes: 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (no matinee Oct. 19); 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday; also 7 p.m. Oct. 9; runs through Oct. 23
Tickets: $30-$81
Running time: Approximately two hours with one intermission
Parking: Free adjacent lot and nearby parking garage
Rating: A few outbursts of harsh language and some adult themes; not for young children