The Old Settler: Beautiful Theatre at the ICT Long Beach

In the parlance of World War II Harlem, an old settler is a woman long past what society considers the peak age for marriage; a spinster. In this season’s lineup at the International City Theatre in Long Beach, The Old Settler is a sterling production of John Henry Redwood’s 1995 play. Compact and efficient, you won’t find — in the style of Shylock’s famous speech — an overt and moralizing plea to audiences to set aside society’s prejudicial favour of youth. Yet societal notions of romance as the province of the young is nevertheless one of the many themes condensed into the poignant and often comical drama of a middle-aged woman whose steady life with her sister in a New York apartment is disrupted by a young boarder and his erstwhile girlfriend. Offering a masterclass in how to stage the big issues of being human in a world that is often unfair — without resorting to mallets or rhetoric — The Old Settler is a richly written, character-driven piece from which audiences can infer a number of emotional insights. The glib might conclude that, as the old joke goes, youth is wasted on the young.

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At the heart of the play is Elizabeth, portrayed by Veralyn Jones with such potent force that even the occasional flubbed line in the heat of a particularly volatile moment can’t derail her performance. As the titular old settler, she embodies the weariness of a woman who has experienced enough heartbreak to last a lifetime yet is, nevertheless, willing to risk loving again. One could ascribe to her the status of a romantic heroine, not in any Byronic sense, but in the human sense that there is nobility in her struggle despite the odds rigged against her. By contrast, we have the boarder, a young man amusingly (and ironically) named Husband Witherspoon who arrives in New York in search of his hometown girl. He is every bit the malleable naïf one would expect from one with more youth than good judgment. Though earnest and well-intentioned, his lack of a fully developed and well-grounded sense of self makes him an unwitting and catalytic foil to the people around him. Ryan Vincent Anderson’s performance here is a very well-tuned asset since we never feel as if Husband is acting out of a desire to manipulate or cheat. He isn’t a player, in other words, and the distinction as captured by Mr. Anderson is a vital one.

The character so ably played by Karen Malina White, Elizabeth’s sister Quilly, is similarly nuanced. Though brash and prickly, and thus a source of friction, she also proves to be a wellspring of solace – as one would expect from any close relative. Although the play is focused on Elizabeth, Quilly undergoes a journey of her own as the sins of the past finally bubble up and burst, leading to the piece’s most bittersweet scene. Ms. White and Ms. Jones achieve a convincing sibling chemistry that infuses an already humane text with heart, and watching the pair on stage is a delight.

That leaves Tarina Pouncy’s wily, self-centered Lou Bessie – or “Charmayne” if you accept her reinvention as a glamourous urbanite – to round out the players. It would be an exaggeration to cast her as villainess, although she does serve a similar purpose as accelerant thrown onto a fire. Arguably the most single-layered character on account of her tangential role, Lou Bessie ultimately highlights how Mr. Redwood can accomplish much with little. The tragedy inherent in the character isn’t so much the harm she causes, wrenching as it is, but the fact that she remains unaware of how precarious and ultimately self-destructive her choices will prove to be. Although neither sister stoops so low as to point it out, it’s inevitable that even Charmayne’s youth, wielded like a weapon throughout the play, will surrender to age. Time, after all, will have its way if not its revenge. It’s a small consolation, of course, and the interpretation comes entirely from our outside perspective. But such is the nature of a commanding play; an open invitation to become attuned to the characters’ emotions and invested in their perspectives. Now that’s beautiful theatre.

The Old Settler. Written by John Henry Redwood. Directed by caryn desai. Starring Veralyn Jones, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Tarina Pouncy and Karen Malina Whit.e On stage 3 through Sunday, June 26, at International City Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. 562.436.4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org

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