Thornton Wilder’s Brilliant “The Skin of Our Teeth” at A Noise Within

Theatre Review:
On Stage With…
Lady Beverly Cohn
Editor-at-Large

American playwrights have written some of the most memorable plays in our theatrical history. Among those are Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” Edward Albee’s
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” Tennessee Williams’s “The Glass Menagerie,”
“Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” “Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,”
and August Wilson’s “Fences.” Topping off this prestigious list is Thornton
Wilder, one of the most revered and celebrated writers of the 20 th Century and the
only recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes, the first in 1927 for his novel, The
Bridge of San Luis Rey, the second for “Our Town” in 1938, and the last one in
1943 for “The Skin of Our Teeth,” becoming the only writer to be awarded that
coveted honor for two different genres – fiction and drama.

THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH is an allegorical play and one of the most provocative, enduring, and amusing plays ever written and is currently on stage at A Noise Within. Penned in 1942, the production opened on Broadway to rave reviews. Directed by Elia Kazan, it starred Fredric March, Florence
Eldridge, Tallulah Bankhead, and Montgomery Clift. The work has withstood
the passage of time and still stands as a warning of not only what is facing our
planet, but of the destiny of mankind, illuminating catastrophic events facing
the survival of all species, past, presence, and future. Lest you think the play is
doom and gloom, I’m here to assure you that because of the brilliance of his
script, the excellent direction by Julia Rodriguz-Elliott and Geoff Elliott, who
assembled an excellent cast, you will be entertained from beginning to end.
The play incorporates various styles of theatre from Comedia del Arte and
farce to burlesque, satire, and realism. However, the theme is consistent – the
story of “Everyman” and his quest to survive catastrophic conditions including
The Ice Age, floods, and multiple wars prevalent since the beginning of time.

Following a fascinating array of clips depicting various violent acts of Mother
Nature, well put together by Projection Designer Nicholas Santiago, the action
segues to the home of George Antrobus (Frederick Stuart) and his wife Maggie
(Trisha Miller) in Excelsior, New Jersey where their maid Sabina (Ann Noble)
breaks the fourth wall and recites her opening monologue directly to the
audience. (Edited)
Oh, Oh, Oh! Six O’clock and the master’s not home yet. Pray God nothing
has happened to him crossing the Hudson River. Here it is the middle of
August and the coldest day of the year…. the dogs are sticking to the
sidewalk…
Mr. Antrobus arrives home announcing to his wife of 5,000 years (not a typo)
and his son Henry, a.k.a. Cain, (Christian Henley) daughter Gladys (Mildred
Marie Langford) that a mammoth iceberg is headed down from Canada. This
“Everyman” family has suffered and survived catastrophic events as far back
as biblical days and are once again struggling to survive the impending Ice
Age, floods, and a possible war. Their biggest task at the moment is to keep
the fire burning and Mrs. Antrobus instructs Sabina to “Make sure the fire
doesn’t go out,” sending her upstairs for furniture to burn to insure its
continuance. Mr. Atrobus is a very clever man and over time invented the
wheel, the alphabet, the multiplication table, and the lever, illuminating man’s
creativity. Rounding out the family are their household pets – a dinosaur
(Micah Schneider) and woolly mammoth (Veronica McFarlane.) As it gets
colder and colder, refugees . seeking shelter. First Mrs. Atrobus says “no,” but
her husband insists they help and asks each of them to take a slat of wood
from the front fence for burning purposes, gaining them access.
Act II takes place in Atlantic City on another gorgeous set by Scenic
Designer Frederica Nascimento and colorful costumes by Designer Garry
Lennon. Mr. Antrobus has been elected “President of the Ancient and
Honorable Order of Mammals, Subdivision Human.” Following his
acceptance speech, the family goes off to enjoy themselves, leaving him
alone and alas, he succumbs to the feminine wiles of Sabina, now known as
Lily Sabina who he chose as Miss Atlantic City. Perhaps another veiled
reference to biblical events depicting sinful activities. The weather shifts and it
becomes clear that a bad storm is approaching with the threat of a flood. The
family, along with the animals, seek refuge on a ship bearing a great
resemblance to the famous “Ark” and they file on two by two.

Act III: Mr. Antrobus, a soldier, returns to his tattered home. Wearing a
uniform, Sabina also has returned. In the middle of the scene, the stage
manager, played by Kasey Mahaffy, stops the play saying that some of the
actors took ill and needed replacement. The understudies briefly rehearse
their lines and the action resumes. Mr. Antrobus is depressed and doesn’t
know if he can start over yet again. His wife, picking up an overturned chair,
says they must continue and we are rubber-banded back to Act 1. Repeating
the opening scene is an allegory of pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and
beginning again.
The talented ensemble include: Anthony Adu, Stella Bullock, Julia
Chavez, Jacob Cherry, Yannick Haynes, Amber Liekhus, Veronica
McFarlane, David A. Rangel, Landon M. Robinson, Micah Schneider, 
Maya Sta. Ana, and Cassandra Marie Murphy, as the fortune teller.
As an audience member, please suspend your disbelief and go along for this
chaotic, seemingly disconnected, but hilarious ride. It really is basically the
story of “Every Man” through the ages and a testament to the resilience and
determination of the human spirit, that even in the face of the most
challenging, catastrophic events, we manage to survive by the skin of our
teeth.

THORTON WILDER’S ‘THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH”
A Noise Within
3352 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
Genre:  Dramedy 
Lighting Designer: Ken Booth
Composer and Sound Designer: Robert Oriol
Music Director: Rod Bagheri
Genre:  Dramedy 
Performance Schedule:
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays: 7:30 pm
Sundays: 2:00 pm
Run Time: 2 Hours & 20 Minutes
Closing:  September 29, 2024
Tickets: Start at $51.50
Student Rate:  $20.00
www.anoisewithin.org
(626) 356-3100
(Call the box office for 
specific performance dates)