`STATE OF THE UNION' OFFERS TIMELY COMMENTARY ON BROADWAY

"State of the Union," Broadway Community Theater's timely current production, which opens tonight, is a stirring exercise in deja' vu.

Wisely, the powers that be resisted the temptation to "update" the three-act comedy by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse.

First produced on Broadway (in New York, that is!) in 1945, the play's political comment reflects issues of the 1946 Presidential election, but its expressions of idealism and cynicism are in many ways echoes of the current atmosphere and attitudes and may even be reassuring insofar as it points up, very funnily, that the more things change more they stay the same and the world has not yet gone to you-know-where in a handbasket despite all the traditional machinations of politicians.

So go to the Concord Theater, on Cape's own Broadway, tonight and Saturday night at 8, and Sunday afternoon at 2, prepared to laugh a lot as you see comparisons almost mirror images of many of the half-century later situations.

Bruce Welker has done a neat job of directing an able, diverse (and, in a few changes, quickly-changing) cast with excellent timing and inventive adaptiveness to the minor catastrophes inherent in community theater endeavors. He deserves special applause for guiding and eliciting good work from folks doubling as actors, scene-painters, prop collectors, make-up artists, hairdressers, etc.

Joe Domian plays Grant Matthews, a successful, articulate, charismatic if a bit naive businessman who has come to the attention of smooth Republican "pol" James Conover, enacted by Joe Sherinsky, who sees him as capable (with proper management, of course) of wresting the Presidency from too-long Democratic control.

Conover's views are shared by newspaper publisher Kay Thorndike, portrayed by Anna Raggien, with whom Grant, although married, is "involved," as well as brash and brassy newspaper reporter Spike MacManus, energetically done by Ronnie Phillips, and fund-raiser Sam Parrish, played by George Boettcher.

They reckon without the influence of Grant's equally articulate and opinionated wife, Mary, strongly portrayed by Marta Green, who continues to love her husband despite the cracks and voids in their marriage (Just wait until you see her reaction to "Maizie" and a strong backside smack at the end of Act III!!)

They reckon, too as does Grant himself without his own basic instincts and beliefs, although for a heady time he really gets the "bug" or, as Mary puts it, an attack of "gallopin' self importance."

That self-importance is fed by such bloated egos as the people Conover inveigles Mary into inviting to a dinner party at the Matthews home people who are supposed to "guide" grant into the right views to express in a speech he's to make to the Foreign Policy Association.

Besieged by such impressive figures as southern Judge Alexander (Rich Behring); Mrs. Draper (Cherie Worth), a vocal member of the National Committee; Senator Lauterback (Ruth Dockins), who's very conscious of the votes of various foreign groups, Grant begins to bask in his own glory but to feel a bit of unease. "Before I got into this, it all seemed so clear and simple. I suppose it does to almost everybody who doesn't have to make the decisions."

It doesn't help matters that Mary finds that Kay (who supposedly has been banished from the scene) had caused Grant to "waffle" in an earlier speech about which he had strong convictions. Small wonder then that Mary joins Lulubelle Alexander (Ann Swanson) in considerable consumption of a buzz-bomb drink called Sazarac and proceeds, during dinner, to, in Lulubelle's words, pick "them off one by one like settin' birds."

As the dinner breaks up, Kay says, "We can make a perfectly honest appeal for justice... and if that gets us some votes, I don't think we should quibble."

Then Grant asks, "Which are you thinking of first the votes or the justice?" as it really begins to dawn on him the nature of the compromises his nomination, not say election, will require.

Conover insists, "In this country we play politics and to play politics you have to play ball."

Finally, Grant tells Mary his decision: "... Nobody can afford to be out of politics. I'm going to be yelling from the sidelines; you've got to be yelling; everybody's got to be yelling. I'm going to be in there asking questions, and I'm going to see that the people get the answers."

"State of the Union" has loads of good lines, lines just as pertinent in the 1990s as they were in the 1940s.

And lots of good people. Credit must go to Rob Felker for stepping in to double as bellhop and butler, and to Amanda Webb as Norah and Jennifer Adams as Jenny, the maids these three unobtrusively keep the chaos from getting out of hand.

Kudos to all and not the least to indefatigable Susie Felker, whose enthusiasm and willingness to work to keep live community theater going is astounding.

Oh, yes two more good lines:

"The President of the United States is the one man elected to protect the welfare of this country as a whole."

And the difference between Democrats and Republicans? Who's out and who's in!