REVIEWS:

DETROIT FREE PRESS: Shavian Satire Still Stings True at Hilberry by Christine Brown

"The Devil's Disciple," one of those old reliables by George Bernard Shaw, has come through again to give the Hilberry Theatre company the most satisfying production of its young season.

The comedy about the Dudgeon family--the name is perfect Shavian satire--was first performed in 1897, but its messages about apparent virtue and vice and the actuality of both are deeply human and still pertinent.

That's what makes Shaw, like Shakespeare, a playwright for all time.

Though the audience's loyalties are constantly twisted and the characters' value systems turned topsy-turvy, Shaw's story is simple enough.

The play is set in puritanical, revolutionary New Hampshire of 1777. The people are the Puritans, exemplified by Mrs. Dudgeon, a dour self-righteous nag.

The bad guy is her son, Dick, who has good-naturedly declared himself the devil's disciple since he feels puritan values seem to bring misery.

Dudgeon goes to the home of Anthony Anderson, the minister, where he is received warmly by the minister and with barely concealed contempt by Anderson's wife, Judith.

Anderson is almost immediately called away to attend to Dick's dying mother, who has become so upset about her late husband leaving his fortune to their devilish son that she herself will soon exit the world.

The British come to arrest the minister and, mistaking Dudgeon for Anderson, prepare to take him away. Dick, the bad man who is really quite good, decides to play along, much to the confusion of Judith.

As in all good comedies, everything turns out well in the end.

The Hilberry production fairly crackles with comedy, both because of Shaw's witty dialogue and the many finely tuned performances of an engaging cast.

As Dudgeon, John Michael Hosking is clearly a handsome hero, and perhaps the audience's loyalties are not torn as much as they should be by his announced affiliation with Satan.

Deborah Eckols as Judith absolutely endears herself to the theatergoer through her exquisite sense of timing, her wide-eyed confusion and facial expressions fraught with comedic significance. Her very appearance is fascinating--she has one of the most intriguing mouths this side of film actress Fiona Lewis.

Wayne S. Turney handles the plum role of Gen John (Gentleman Johnny) Burgoyne with obvious relish, and satire is written in every line in his face as he delivers lines like: "Martyrdom, sir, is what these people like. It is the only way a man can become famous without ability."

Some of the special lighting effects, such as a thunderstorm, are well executed, but the set is generally unremarkable and the cardboard cutouts of British soldiers give the show an amateurish tinge.

That, however, is unimportant. What counts is the play and the performances, and as Shaw intended, they deliver both laughs and a message.

THE SOUTH END: 'Devil's Disciple' Stirs Up Spirit of '76 at the Hilberry by Clarence E. Persinger, Jr.

The Hilberry Theatre's production of Bernard Shaw's "The Devil's Disciple" is a delightful, fast-paced combination of melodrama and farce. Only Shaw could look at the heroic confrontations of the British and would-be-American soldiers during the American Revolution and make it matter for a comedy with a melodramatic theme. But the Shavian wit is here in plentiful amounts and even the most somber of characters speak with underlying sarcasm. Shaw's most hateful of women, Mrs. Dudgeon, filled with dead Puritanism, makes life miserable for all, with her sour face and sharp tongue. She even slaps disobedient lazy up side the head with the authority of a Marine sergeant. Harper Jane McAdoo is a hateful matriarch in this role. With puckered lips and furrowed brow, she goes about her bullying and belittling family and friends. She's also a callous delight as she fakes mourning for a dead husband, and adds her own shocking news to the opening revelations with a confession of love for her husband's brother who's been hung by the British.

McAdoo isn't the only shining star here. The entire Hilberry company has settled into this collection of dynamic extravagant characters with grace and polish and they all seem to be enjoying it as much as the audience. Director Richard Spear never lets a moment drag but has action filling the stage and erupting into the auditorium constantly. And from the silent Red-Coated British soldiers to the dramatic and heroic title character, there's a flair and style that's engrossingly exciting. Even the finale's unfurling of a huge American flag is done with such flair and style one readily overlooks its overbearing theatrics.

Dan Field's costumes are expertly designed and executed, especially the sumptuous elegant-looking British Red Coats and Russell Smith's scenery gets its own applause. A turntable at rear center stage contains three different sets, ranging from kitchen cupboards to a town square lynching scaffold and high-stepping soldiers change sets with military speed and precision.

In the title role, John Michael Hosking is a flamboyant, arrogant, contrary protagonist. Not only does he insult all his relatives at the reading of his father's will, he adds to his hatefulness as he struts about using table and chairs for his podium as if he were Satan himself. He sends them all scurrying with an announcement of his worshipping the Devil with the fervor they reserve for God. But in spite of his cocksure egotistic manners he attracts two female followers--a frightened forlorn cousin and the minister's wife.

Matching Dick Dudgeon's charm is Wayne Turney as Gentlemanly Johnny. The sardonic comments roll off his lips with wonderful grace and condescension. His harsh, truthful comments about the British soldiers and red-tape-filled bureaucracy are true gems and he maintains as much style and insight as his major lacks. As Major Swindon, Douglas Stark is a fumbling idiot, who seems to always be insulting and contradicting his superior.