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In honesty, I had no particular feelings for Richard Chamberlain either way before the play. Some of his performances I have liked (Portrait of a Lady and The Count of Monte Cristo) and others I haven’t (Allan Quartermain and The Prince (Definitely not my scene I’m afraid)). The Stillborn Lover is the first time I have seen him on stage so I had no particular preconceptions about either him or the play. The first obvious thing about the cast is that, to an American audience, all were well known to the point of being household names. Being British, I had only heard of Richard Chamberlain and, more obliquely, Lois Nettleton as the psycho-bitch interest in Play Misty For Me. The second point and perhaps a more poignant one for a non American is the apparent anti American sentiment that seeps in and out of the play at times. In truth, particularly at the moment, the play was a brave one to stage in the US and I believe that the production team are to be congratulated on realising that in the main, the audience are grown-ups.
The quality of the production is nothing short of outstanding. Any other reviewer of this play on this website will describe Richard Chamberlain’s as brilliant but it really was. But we cannot forget the truly great performances from the rest of the cast and particularly Lois Nettleton who in my opinion had the toughest job in making her character plausible. The growing realisation of the depth of the love that Harry and Marion share, and the sacrifices she is prepared to make for him, can only come from quality writing, wonderfully skilled performances and sensitive direction. Has my opinion of Richard Chamberlain changed since seeing the play? Not really. He is what I suspected him to be, a quality actor who likes to get his teeth into a quality role despite some dubious choices in the past. In its 75 years, the Berkshire Theatre Festival has attracted some big names to its little stage. Any actor who places the quality of a consummate performance above a pay cheque, is the true artist. I believe that all the cast must have done this in this instance. If this production is anything to go by, the festival has many years to run. By David Scott
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Being
asked to write a review on a Richard Chamberlain performance for a Richard
Chamberlain Fan Website has to be a daunting task with the risk of being
(albeit metaphorically) burnt at the steak as a heretic if I miss the
mark. Only two paths seem possible. Gush unreservedly about the supreme
talent of Mr Chamberlain irrespective of his performance or quality of
the play, or offer an honest critique of the production. For better or
for worse, I have chosen the latter.
As
the play unfolds and we come to sympathise with the situation in which
Harry Raymond (the Chamberlain character) the audience cannot help but
compare Raymond and Chamberlain in the dilemma they shared in life –
the great fear of the public discovery of their homosexuality. Richard
Chamberlain is far luckier than Harry Raymond in that the public realisation
(and probable long suspicion) of the fact was greeted with a wave of indifference
bordering unimportance. Today’s indifference to, or even acceptance
of homosexuality among most normal thinking people is so different to
that of Harry Raymond where the discovery merely of his homosexuality
was enough to kill his career stone dead, even if, in the long run, he
was completely innocent of the crime he is alleged to have committed.
The
Chamberlain / Raymond juxtaposition in my view, added a very interesting
element to the plot and I for one would like to know if Richard Chamberlain
accepted the part because of his recent revelations or in spite of them.
But for this story, whilst homosexuality is a bit of a red herring, its
repercussions are far from insignificant. Harry is a man who will lose
everything – well almost anyway. His wife, and very clearly his
closest friend and confidante, is rapidly sinking into a state of dementia.
His career is to be sacrificed on the alter of the insatiable ambition
of his erstwhile friend and his daughter has the disturbing revelation
that, not only does she not know her parents at all, but that they know
her far more than she thought. Ultimately, the play is about relationships.
Harry and his friend, Harry and his daughter, Harry and his wife, Harry
and his life.