The Mint Theatre has continued its mission of producing “worthwhile plays from the past that have been lost or forgotten” with yet another excellent production, the specimen at hand being Miles Malleson’s Conflict.
Malleson (1888-1969) was a familiar face, at least to anyone who watches British films. One of those character men who presumably looked middle-aged at 22, the actor—who sported a prominent double-chin—specialized in small-but-memorable roles in well over 100 films, most notably as the Hangman in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and the Sultan in the 1940 Thief of Bagdad for which he also served as screenwriter; in addition to acting, Malleson was a screenwriter, playwright, adaptor of Moliere, and director. His one Broadway acting stint came during the Old Vic visit in 1946, playing in four plays with the likes of Olivier, Leighton and Richardson and self-directing one of the offerings (Sheridan’s The Critic). Four of his plays were presented here over the decades with little success, though not Conflict.
Beneath the actor’s benevolent guise was an unlikely firebrand, freethinker and all-round progressive, espousing socialism, women’s suffrage, free love and other unmannerly subjects. Conflict, which seems to have been a moderate West End success in 1925, tells of the genteel election battle between stodgy Conservative Ronald Clive (Henry Clarke) and Labourite Tom Smith (Jeremy Beck). You can tell which side Malleson and his audience are on by the plebeian name of the upstart.
The pair, who were at Cambridge together, are in conflict not only over the seat in the local election but—and you needn’t be a dramaturgical genius to forecast this early-on—over Lady Dare (Jessie Shelton), the sheltered-but-clearly-ready-to-jump-the-ship daughter of Lord Bellingdon (Graeme Malcolm), who is Clive’s prime supporter. (Years before writing the play, Malleson himself absconded with the daughter of an earl, who scandalously eloped with the commoner actor and entered into an open marriage.)
All of which takes us back to the production at hand and the Mint, which scored a success in 2017 with its production of Malleson’s first-time-in-America Yours Unfaithfully. Conflict is impeccably produced, with assured staging by Jenn Thompson and the Mint’s typically well-wrought physical production. (Working on what must be a financial shoestring, this small non-profit continually comes up with sets—including this one, from John McDermott—that look far more expensive than they must have cost.)
Clarke and Beck make a fine central pair of battlers, although Beck comes off better no doubt because he’s the freethinking hero. Shelton does almost as well as the heroine (although she seems a tad too self-assured), Malcolm makes a crusty peer in the C. Aubrey Smith mold, and Amelia White makes the most of her brief stage time as a low-class but high principled landlady.
The Mint’s production is highly enjoyable in just about every way. But while the Malleson script is a worthy find, the play is in no way brilliant, ground-breaking or otherwise distinguished. Interesting and intriguing, yes; but you can see why Conflict quickly disappeared while contemporary plays like Shaw’s Saint Joan, Coward’s Private Lives and O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms remain ever present. If you’re looking for a well-mannered, well-produced production of an English-language play that you can revel in, though, The Conflict—as presented by the Mint—is it.
Conflict opened June 21, 2018 at the Beckett Theatre and runs through July 21. Tickets and information: minttheater.org
