Divamensch

Richard and I saw *Yours Unfaithfully* at the Mint Theater on 1/10.  We've seen nearly every show the Mint has done back to *Philip Goes Forth* in 2013.  They present forgotten plays, generally from the 30s and 40s, generally by American or English writers - - maybe the playwrights are known for other work, but the plays they do haven't been done in years.  Everything they do is worth seeing, and presented in a first-class production.  Though I have to be honest and say they did one clunker this summer, *A Day By the Sea* - - Richard and I left that one at intermission.

 

*Yours Unfaithfully* is a frisky frothy drama about an open marriage, written in 1933 by Miles Malleson, and amazingly enough, just getting its world premiere now.  We enjoyed it very much, it's what I'd classify as a well-made play: expertly plotted, no flab on it, presents its issues in a cogent manner, gives some nice opportunities to the actors, lights fade, the end.  No fol de rol.  It had a few surprises, and was stimulating from start to finish.

 

The only actor we knew was Max von Essen.  He was playing Che the day we saw *Evita* in 2013.  I heard he did that quite a lot, stepping in for Ricky Martin.  Max was great in the role, probably better than Ricky himself.  Max was wonderful in *Yours Unfaithfully* - - like all the actors (and this is true for all the Mint shows), he nailed the tone.  These plays have a charming, stagy, somewhat musty quality to the language, and they always get it right.

 

And it must be said, Max is VERY handsome.  That don't hurt.