Days to Come

Days to Come

Mint Theater Company

Theatre Row

Photo courtesy of Mint Theater Company

Lillian Hellman’s 1936 drama, Days to Come, is receiving a high quality Off-Broadway revival by Mint Theater Company.  The play contains strong social themes that were powerful to the time period in which it was written, and relevant to our present day political climate.  As quoted in the dramaturgical notes in the program: In Days to Come Lillian Hellman “attempted to develop a theme common to all her plays, that the world we live in is the sum total of the acts of each individual in it.  Ignorance, dishonesty, and cowardice in personal live affect social events.”  This production, directed by J. R. Sullivan, keeps the audience actively engaged, while successfully portraying Ms. Hellman’s compelling theme.

When his factory workers go on strike, Andrew Rodman (played by Larry Bull) under the advice of his lawyer and friend, Henry Ellicott (played by Ted Deasy), hire a group of strike breakers lead by Sam Wilke (played by Dan Daily) to resolve the growing problem.  Andrew is unaware of the violence these men normally use to achieve their objective, but Henry is knowledgeable about the service they are paying for.  Leo Whalen, the strike organizer (played by Roderick Hill), coaches the leader of the factory workers, Thomas Firth (played by Chris Henry Coffey), to keep the men calm and not fight back when instigated.  When Andrew’s wife, Julia (played by Janie Brookshire), ventures where she does not belong, the violence erupts to the point of no return.

Larry Bull & Chris Henry Coffey
Photo courtesy of Mint Theater Company

The cast fully embodies the style and pace of the time period.  The social norms and protocols are clearly set in place at the top of the show, so when the group of outsiders comes in to break the strike, the disruption is visceral.  The cast of eleven is exceptional.  They play off one another very well, allowing Lillian Hellman’s dialogue to flow naturally.  Janie Brookshire, Larry Bull, Chris Henry Coffey, Dan Daily, Ted Deasy, and Roderick Hill create strong-willed characters driven by clear objectives.  Mary Beacon, Betsy Hogg, Kim Martin-Cotton, Geoffrey Allen Murphy, and Evan Zes add fuel to the fire, building the conflict in the action, while adding some well needed humor.

Photo courtesy of Mint Theater Company

This is my first experience with Mint Theater Company, and I intend to return for future productions.  Mint Theater's mission is to find and produce “worthwhile plays from the past that have been lost or forgotten… (and) create new life for these plays through research, dramaturgy, production, publication, readings, and a variety of enrichment programs.”  Days to Come is playing at Theatre Row through October 6.  Be sure to see it.

Domenick Danza