Ovation Fellows are current students or recent alumni from Los Angeles area universities.  Fellows are paired with a Mentor, currently serving as an Ovation Award voter, and see productions and meet artists around Greater Los Angeles throughout the year.  Their articles, posted on LAStageBlog, are intended to be their personal responses to their experiences, and not as critical reviews or representing the views of LA Stage Alliance.

Alessandra Brown is an Ovation Fellow from CalArts.

The Odyssey Theatre’s production of Noel Coward’s A Song at Twilight is superbly constructed. All aspects of the production tied in very well with the characters’ separate identities.

I spoke with Julie Simpson, the stage manager, about the production which was a pleasure. We discussed the way in which the pieces of the set and pictures were framed to exemplify each character. The story focuses around Hugo Latymer, his wife Hilde and his former mistress Carlotta but A Song at Twilight tells the story of one man’s struggle when confronted with his homosexual past.

All the relationships lack some form of intimacy. Hugh and Hilde’s marriage is more like a business partnership. Hilde takes care of Hugo’s business affairs and when she comes home slightly intoxicated Hugo chastises her like a parent would a child. He also scolds her for speaking German in his home; a language he detests though Hilde is German.

Alley Mills and Orson Bean, who are married, play Hugo and Hilde. I think this led to the beautiful chemistry of the characters. Hugo and Hilde may lack intimacy however they obviously care for each other. Their relationship is very different from the one between Carlotta and Hugo, which seems to have been passionate when they were younger. Carlotta has a fieriness to her that has not changed from her youth. She and Hugo argue for much of the play and Carlotta knows which buttons of Hugo’s to press.

The play revolves around the several love letters Hugo wrote to his ex-lover that Carlotta has possession of. It would seem Carlotta is blackmailing Hugo with the letters but in fact she’s hurt. Carlotta is hurt because while she and Hugo were together he did not trust her enough to allow her to know of his relationship with men. Hugo does not seem to understand Carlotta’s feelings and more surprising is Hilde’s knowledge of Hugo’s ex-lover.

I think the most powerful moment is Hilde’s confession that she’s always known about Hugo’s inclinations. The idea they could be married for decades while keeping a secret from each other is saddening but in the end Coward does give their marriage some of the intimacy it lacks throughout the play. In the darkness of their living room Hilde comforts Hugo when he becomes overwhelmed by emotions while reading his letters.

A Song at Twilight runs at the Odyssey Theatre until Mach 7. I would suggest seeing it. If nothing else it is a testament to human relationships.