University of Virginia Library

Play Review

Sartre's 'No Exit' At Albemarle

By Steve Wells
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

In an initial effort to bring live
commercial theater to Charlottesville,
producer Vaud Massarsky
opened a production of Jean-Paul
Sartre's "No Exit" at the Albemarle
Theatre on Monday evening. And
he is off to a good start.

Sartre's play is a lengthy one-acter
which takes place in Hell. It is
a philosophical piece of dramatic
literature, and the production it has
been given by director Jerry Grant
and his cast is quite strong. It
should be seen - but only by
serious theatergoers.

"No Exit" is about three people
- a man and two women - who,
after death, are led into a room
where they will remain together
eternally. The man is a journalist,
named Cradeau, and the two females
are Incz, a lesbian and Estelle, a
woman who thrives on male companionship.
In the beginning, they
anticipate some form of physical
torture, but as they probe into one
another's lives and characters, they
begin to realize that they are each
other's torturers, that mental pain
is more unbearable than is physical.
Sartre's message is that "Hell is
other people."

More Philosopher

Sartre, however, is more of a
philosopher than he is a playwright.
Although the play's dramatic structure
is basically firm, it does have a
few holes. For instance, the characters
reach an epiphany concerning
their relationship too early in the
play (Incz' description of what Hell
is comes too soon after their
meeting). Also, some phrases of
dialogue are corny or cliched, part
of the responsibility for which rests
with adapter Paul Bowles. Examples
of these are "And I, my sweet,
I'm yours forever" and "You have
my lips, my arms, my whole body,"
which sound as if they belong in a
1930's movie or a television soap
opera.

What is probably the most
difficult challenge a director of the
play faces is that of making the
characters come across as dramatic
figures instead of merely carriers
for Sartre's ideas and thoughts. Mr.
Grant has done this surprisingly
well, and his staging seems to be
powered by emotional energy.

His symbolic triangular setting is
also a definite asset. Each character
has his own corner to which, no
matter where in the room he goos,
he always returns alone. They
cannot share a corner, because they
cannot satisfy each other's needs.
The homosexual yearning Incz has
for Estelle and the heterosexual
physical attraction between Estelle
and Cradeau can never be fulfilled
(due to Incz' presence, Cradeau's
conscience, and Estelle's very nature),
yet the sexual temptation
will always be there to remind the
three that they are in Hell.

Sexual Element

Mr. Grant has heightened the
sexual element in the play about as
much as is possible. This is
effectively achieved through suggestive
glances, concentrated movements,
and of course, shading of
the delivery of lines to that end.

On occasion Mr. Grant would be
wise to be a bit more subtle in his
approach (there is one line he has
given Incz in which she outrightly
declares her lesbianism, which is
totally unnecessary since she has
already made this perfectly clear).
It isn't smart to be too obvious,
which this production at times is,
for it implies that the audience is
being looked upon as naive.

The acting ranges from adequate
(Sheryl Simms as Estelle) to near
excellent (Adam Gregor as Cradeau)
to extraordinary (Penny oss
as Incz). Despite their varying
degrees of displayed talent, the
three work well together as a
company.

Miss Simms' performance is not
as penetrating as the other two; it is
more of a surface characterization.
Her weakest moments are when she
screams and cries, unconvincingly
in both cases. Mr. Gregor does a
commendable job throughout, but
his portrayal of Cradeau builds in
intensity with the play's flow, until
he reaches the desired emotional
peak at the point when Cradeau
must admit to himself he is a
coward.

Seductive And Soothing

It is Miss Hess, though, who
makes the most of her role. She
expertly conveys Incz' amorous
feelings for Estelle with a voice
which is both seductive and
maternally soothing. Her movements
are stiff (as if the character
once had a physical defect from
which she has not fully recovered)
and when she starts chasing Estelle,
this becomes all the more obvious,
making Incz' fate all the more
tragic. And Miss Hess' reaction

when she sees (on earth) a heterosexual
couple making love in her
bed is memorable for the vividly
portrayed impact it has on her
character. A child one minute, a
frustrated woman the next, Miss
Hess is superb.

This is a production that is
worthy of a better theater than
the makeshift one in the Albemarle
Hotel. Nevertheless, it remains a
satisfying evening of drama, which
is something that is hard to come
by in this town.

— Ed.)