By Michael C. Guilmette Jr.
Staff Reporter
SAULT STE. MARIE — Even a not-so-clever ruse can motivate a family of lay-abouts to reach for its dreams. This was the central theme to Noel Coward's “I'll Leave It To You,” a three-act comedy that was presented by the Sault Community Theater on May 13, 14 and 15.
“I'll Leave It To You” tells the story of the Dermots, a well-to-do British family composed of Mrs. Dermot and her five grown children — Oliver, Evangeline, Bobbie, Sylvia and Joyce. The family had recently been left without a patriarch — and penniless — by the death of the father, and the play opens with Mrs. Dermot, played by Peggy Burdette, breaking the dire economic news to her children.
All is not lost, however, as rich Uncle Dan is coming to visit the family and lend a financial hand. Uncle Dan is said to be a mine owner in South America who apparently has the means to keep the family up to their accustomed standard of living.
Uncle Dan, played by Frank Breen, himself has some dire news for the family. To their shock, he reveals that he is a dying man, and that his doctors said that he has but three years left to live. When asked what he is afflicted with, he sheepishly admits to Sleeping Sickness but then quickly side-steps the issue to issue his challenge to the five children. Whomever manages to succeed in their endeavors before Uncle Dan dies will inherit his entire fortune, and as to how they are to succeed, he says, “I'll leave it to you.”
The second act opens 18 months later to find that the five children have exceeded everyone's expectations. Oliver, the oldest son, has become an engineer with the auto factory; Evangeline is now a novelist of note; Bobbie is becoming a well-known composer; Sylvia is a successful actress; and even Joyce, who is still in school, has achieved academically.
The family is settling into a weekend and is expecting guests — Mrs. Crombie and her daughter Faith, but most expectantly, Uncle Dan. Mrs. Crombie is an uppity London socialite, and her daughter Faith has caught the adoring eye of Bobbie. In a moment away, Bobbie serenades Faith with his latest song that he composed for her, to which she pays meager attention.
Her outlook changes when Bobbie tells her of Uncle Dan's challenge, and that Uncle Dan had taken him aside to tell Bobbie that he was his favorite and he was assured to get the inheritance. Bobbie proposes to Faith, and Faith tentatively accepts — but she has to speak with her mother first. However, as the act goes on, each of the children reveal to each other that Uncle Dan told each of them the same thing.
Furthermore, the suspicious Mrs. Crombie interrogates Uncle Dan about where his mine was in South America, confronting him with the fact that she has family in on the same continent. Finally, Uncle Dan admits that he is not dying. In fact, he is quite healthy, but he is also a broke, down-on-his-luck gambler. Not wanting to face his scornful family, he leaves the house for a nearby hotel.
In the final act, each of the children denounce Uncle Dan for his deception — each one, that is, except for Sylvia. She has grown content with her own success and realizes that what Uncle Dan did was out of love for his family. Bobbie, however, is pretty bitter about the situation, because when Faith found out that he was not going be rich, she said that she could not marry him.
Mrs. Dermot simply would not believe that Uncle Dan would pull such a stunt on the family, telling her children over breakfast that he must simply be having fun with them. She sends Griggs, the butler, to fetch Uncle Dan from the hotel.
Uncle Dan returns to the house regally, expecting that the family would see the reason why he played his little trick. They did not — at least, not initially. While Uncle Dan was bemoaning his predicament to a sympathetic Sylvia, the other four children entered the room and apologized for being so cruel to him.
This production was directed by David Markstrom and was produced by Colleen Lavey, both active participants with the Sault Community Theater. This performance featured the returning talents of Maureen Henderson as Evangeline, Jason Markstrom as Oliver and Rachel Mender as Sylvia. All appeared in “The Odd Couple, Female Version,” where Henderson played the lead role. Breen masterfully played the beleaguered Uncle Dan, Chris Cottle took on the role of Bobbie, young Jennifer Zednicek played Joyce, Theresa Zednicek was Mrs. Crombie, Karley McKee played Faith, and Mike Donovan added more comedy as the Lurch-esque butler Griggs.
“I'll Leave It To You” was Noel Coward's first produced play. He wrote it in 1921 and appeared in its opening in London's West End.
