We're All Hanging On By "The Skin Of Our Teeth"

Who knew Thornton Wilder could get a little wild? 

Photos by Petronella J. Ytsma  

I've talked a lot on this blog about my feelings on what pieces of art are considered to be "classics." Whether you believe it is correct or not, there are definitely a core few writers who get passed around from generation to generation as *the* people who have set the standard for literature (whatever that means). Names we see often on such lists include Dickens, Tolstoy, Joyce, Mann, and many more fusty old white dudes. Some of them I love, some of them I don't, but it's inarguable that they left a mark big enough that we still discuss them today.

Photos by Petronella J. Ytsma  

When it comes to candidates for the American canon, Thornton Wilder is an immediate contender. The only person to win separate Pulitzer prizes for drama and literature, Wilder was a key member of the literary community in the mid-20th century. He was a child of the Midwest and is a person who formed the popular imagination of what the American nuclear family looked like. Remember that picture of a mom-dad-two-kids combo with the white picket fence in an idyllic small town, where all the girls are pretty and all the boys are above average? Wilder played an important part in developing that stereotype, and his fingerprints are all over art in America after he started writing.

Photos by Petronella J. Ytsma  

One of the Pulitzers Wilder won was for a play called The Skin of Our Teeth, a now-rarely mounted piece that just opened at Park Square Theatre. Like Our Town (his earlier and more famous play), The Skin of Our Teeth features a healthy dose of self-awareness via explicit asides to the audience; a play within a play, it has a lot of moving parts. The show feels like an apocalyptic metaphor set within the confines of the history of earth. Showing the immutability of the human condition, The Skin of Our Teeth takes a family (the Antrobuses) in three acts through the end of the ice age, a flood, and a world war. Although their clothes and the conditions of their distress may change, the Antrobuses continue to be unflappably the same. Mr. Antrobus is a family figurehead with a wandering eye; Mrs. Antrobus is the secret powerhouse of the family who hides behind her status as a wife; Henry is a sociopath who can't stop killing people with a slingshot; and Gladys is the ever-overlooked daughter who keeps trying to stand out, regardless of how little attention is paid to her. Sabina, an amorphous antihero whose plans to spoil the Antrobuses' domesticity, provides narration to help guide the audience through each completely different act.

Photos by Petronella J. Ytsma  

The first thing that struck me about the play was the extremely fast paced dialogue; it has the same slapshot pace as Hollywood classics like His Girl Friday, and if you're not paying close attention this play will whiz straight by you. The long, wordy sentences are chewed up and spit back out with expert pacing by the cast. I was particularly struck by Alayne Hopkins as Sabina, who manages to be perfectly clear despite her turgid lines. She provided the few moments of clarity I found throughout the show, and her expert handling of the script was impressive. Kirby Bennett brought a Hilary Clinton vibe to her role as Mrs. Antrobus, infusing the character with underappreciated intelligence. John Middleton made the blustery Mr. Antrobus downright charming, and I found myself liking the character despite often having clear thoughts against his actions in my head. Taj Ruler stood out to me as a member of the ensemble cast; her trademark timing, so often perfectly displayed in work at the Brave New Workshop, really enlivened this show. I honestly wish we had more of her throughout.

Photos by Petronella J. Ytsma  

Because the scenes of The Skin of Our Teeth change completely between acts, so must the set - meaning two 15 minute intermissions between acts that brought the show to just under three hours. The sets bear the hallmark of Director Joel Sass's trademark affinity for whimsy; I got it, but they couldn't help but feel a little cluttery to me. There is so much sorting out the audience has to do to distinguish between what is the same and what isn't between the vastly different scenarios that the bright, populated sets can fee a little overwhelming. Ditto for the costume design by Kathy Kohl, which adds even more color and activity to the stage. I quite liked the projections and videos produced for each scene (courtesy of Kathy Maxwell, C Andrew Mayer, and Maxwell Collyard); they added a lot of context and a crisp modernity that neatly started and ended each act.

Photos by Petronella J. Ytsma  

All in all, The Skin of Our Teeth was not my kind of play. It definitely fits into the theme of apocalypse that seems to be cropping up with aplomb this season (see reviews of The Children or Zvizdal here for more details). Given a modern analysis, you could consider it to be an early condemnation of climate change and humanity's effect on the world, much like those found in popular books of recent years like The Sixth Extinction, Sapiens or The World Without Us. I understood the themes and I fully believe the actors did a really good job committing to and delivering their roles. The sum of the parts just didn't add up I guess - I can tell that this was a good production of Thornton Wilder, but I just couldn't connect to the story. If you're a fan of The Skin of Our Teeth already I have a feeling you'll love this show - many in the audience seemed delighted with the production, and Girl Friday Productions clearly knows their stuff when it comes to this author - it just wasn't for me. It will be showing at Park Square Theatre through March 3, so make sure to click here to get your tickets since Girl Friday only produces one show every two years. Go and form your own opinion! I'd love to hear other people's thoughts.