Perfect Arrangement at Brookfield Theatre: A Look Back in Time, or the Mirror of Today?

The week of May 13th, 2019 left many American women either scratching their heads or clenching their teeth, asking, “Why do middle-aged, conservative, white men get to make choices about my life and my body? Especially seeing as they are not medical doctors of any kind?”  Restrictive abortion laws are being passed in several middle and southern states, making it illegal for women to receive abortions even in cases of incest or rape. These laws come on the heels of a theatre production a little closer to home than Alabama, Missouri, Georgia or Louisiana.

“Perfect Arrangement” by Topher Payne came to the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts stage from Friday, April 26th through Saturday, May 11th. Directed by Terry Sagedy, the play is set in 1950s Washington D.C. during the Red Scare of Joseph McCarthy. Bob Martindale, played by Tony Bosco-Schmidt, and Norma Baxter, played by the transformative and comedically well-timed Molly Wheaton, both work for the U.S. State Department and are tasked with finding sexual deviants amongst their colleagues within the first scene. What becomes apparent quite quickly is that both Bob and Norma are gay and have married each other’s partners in order to create a façade of heterosexuality in a climate tinged with anxiety regarding sexual identity, a woman’s place and what constitutes as the American family unit. At first appearing to be a comedy filled with hi-jinks and product-placement used to divert questions that dig a little too deep, “Perfect Arrangement” hits darker notes when someone from the past threatens to expose both couples. Norma faces the decision to either continue living the lie or do one of the hardest things for those within the LGBTQ community: be herself.

For those intrigued by the premise of the play, you are unfortunately out of luck in terms of seeing it in Fairfield County any time soon. I was lucky to see the final performance on May 11th. While some of the cast were not memorable, the plot itself and the layered performance of Wheaton packed a lasting punch for an audience living in the current political climate. Norma’s decision to ignore the State Department’s inquest and work with Millie and Barbara Grant (played by Morgana Kate Watson and Elizabeth Young respectively), in order to amplify the voices of gay and lesbian men and women is heroic yet jeopardized by Bob who is not ready to come forward as a gay man. When confronted about their decision to foil Norma’s plan and keep all four people in the metaphorical closet, Bob and his partner Jim, (David Regelmann), simply state that they are doing what is best for the women.  

With the passing of the near-total abortion ban by Alabama and Georgia lawmakers, it would appear not much has changed in the 65 years between “Perfect Arrangement” and 2019. This week, men made similar, impactful decisions on behalf of the resident women of the United States in an attempt to overturn Roe vs. Wade which gives women the fundamental right to privacy that protects the decision to carry out or terminate a pregnancy. Women were told mere days ago by 25 white men in Alabama that we not only don’t know what is best for us, but the lives we live, relationships forged and careers built are not as important as the cells in our wombs. But then again, what progress can be expected from states that as of two years ago still allowed the Confederate flag to be displayed on license plates? Where Chick-fil-A is headquartered and continues to thrive, chicken sandwiches being more satisfying than the moral high-ground despite the public statements of the CEO against same-sex marriage and recent tax returns showing large donations to faith-based groups?

At the end of “Perfect Arrangement,” the Bob, Millie, Norma and Jim stand in the living room of the women’s apartment. The men’s attempt at bribing Norma by offering themselves as potential fathers for the child she has always longed momentarily stops her from leaving with Millie to attend the rally they have inspired. As happened many times throughout the performance, the audience’s attention is directed to Wheaton, as Norma stands downstage-right, eyes shining with tears, the cogs of her brain turning as she tries to decide whether it is best to resume the status quo or run with the wants of the heart.

Upon reflecting on the final scene, the mind can’t help but turn to the women who will become pregnant and have no choice but to deliver a baby, regardless of the circumstances that surround her. Or the college-aged LGBTQ students whose universities won’t ban Chick-fil-A from campus because that would be a form of “censorship and intolerance,” despite the fast food chain’s own intolerance. These scenarios aren’t unlikely and will soon be the reality of thousands of U.S. citizens. The decisions of few have tainted the lives of many, unbalancing the equality between men and women, between heterosexual and homosexual. They fail to make a perfect arrangement but do accurately show the injustice of being the underdog in modern America.

 

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Submitted by Brookfield, CT

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