Shaw’s ‘Candida’ probes the power of love

by Mark Lord qboro contributor

Bill Logan’s love affair with the works of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw goes back to his days as a college student at the University of Houston in the late 1970s.

But throughout the intervening years, he had never had the opportunity to work on a production of one of Shaw’s most popular plays, “Candida” — until now.

Logan directed the play for The Gingerbread Players of Saint Luke’s Church in Forest Hills. It opened last weekend and two performances remain — on Nov. 18 and 19.

Logan, who lives in Forest Hills, got his feet wet as a Shavian actor early in his theatrical career, appearing in a production of “Getting Married.” Four decades later he came full circle when he directed the play for the Gingerbread troupe.

Among the other Shavian plays with which he has been involved either as actor or director are “The Philanderer” and “You Never Can Tell.”

So delighted is he by Shaw’s writing that he claims, “One of my most pleasant discoveries was on a business trip to Boston where I found a six-volume set of the complete works of Shaw for $35.”

He appreciates that Shaw’s plays have “a serious yet humorous way of approaching topics that are still relevant.”

“Candida,” which was written in 1894, is a case in point. The themes, among them the examination of a woman’s place in marriage and the meaning of marriage itself, are “pertinent to today,” Logan said.

“Shaw’s portrayal of independent women must have startled audiences back then,”

Logan said.

The play’s three central characters are James Morell, a well-known English reverend and moralist (played by David Ezra Stein); his devoted wife, Candida (Lauren Snyder); and a passionate young poet, Eugene Marchbanks (Joey Mignone), who tries to win Candida’s affections.

Snyder says her character “is surprisingly a lot like me. She is good-natured and likes taking care of people — a bit more than I do.”

She first became acquainted with the role when she took a workshop at HB Studio, one of the original acting studios in New York City, under famed actor and teacher Austin Pendleton. “He had a wealth of knowledge about Shaw,” she said. “I worked on my character in class.” Now, she says, “I notice things differently” about her.

Rounding out the cast are Farah Diaz-Tello, Andrew Dinan and Mike Miller.

Not only does “Candida” question Victorian notions of love and marriage, but, as is typical in many of Shaw’s works, it also touches upon political issues of the day, though, according to Logan, they’re not central in this play.

Following open auditions, rehearsals for the production began in late August. Logan has found the experience to be “great. The cast is very dedicated. They work very hard. They’ve learned how to play Shaw; they get the humor and all his points across.”

Remaining performances take place at Saint Luke’s Church, at 85 Greenway South, on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit gingerbreadplayers.org or call (718) 268-7772. Q