Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Mint Theater Company presents Harold Brighouse’s GARSIDE’S CAREER in the best possible light

• By drediman
• February 25, 2025
• No Comments

This past weekend at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row, I also had the chance to take in Mint Theater Company’s rare revival of Harold Brighouse’s 1914 play Garside’s Career. The play tells the story of one Garside, a young, ambitious mechanic whose inherent intellectual and speaking abilities give him the opportunity to transcend his working class background — namely the prospect of becoming a member of parliament, which he eventually becomes. Thereafter residing in a luxurious London flat — which he pays for with the fees he earns from speaking engagements — Garside starts neglecting his political duties in favor of self-interests, triggering his descent back into obscurity.

In short, Garside’s Career is a fascinating if odd odd play, and perhaps for unintentional reasons. The work is a cautionary tale that seems to both root for and criticize its title character. By both building up and tearing down Garside, the playwright seems to be torn about his thoughts on the notion of ambition. On one hand, there is something admirable — and strangely American — about the shameless manner in which Garside pursues his willed destiny. On the other hand, this reckless pursuit for self-advancement is the very quality that leads to his downfall. So in some roundabout way, the work seems to strangely speak to our times — not to champion the merits of humility and knowing your place (which I surmise was the original intent), but as a cautionary tale about unchecked greed.

As per usual, the folks over at Mint have presented Garside’s Career in the best possible light. Director Matt Dickson’s “Masterpiece Theater”-like treatment is classy in the best ways. Although the tasteful approach brings a somber tone to the play, the subtly satiric aspects of Brighouse’s play nevertheless still manages to slice through on occasion. The fine cast does much more than merely dust the cobwebs off of this long-forgotten work (Mint’s production actually marks the play’s New York premiere), bringing immediacy and vibrancy to their respective portrayals. Leading the pack is the Daniel Marconi, who is hugely charismatic and compelling as the knot of contradictions that is Garside.

RECOMMENDED

GARSIDE’S CAREER
Off-Broadway, Play
Mint Theater Company at Theatre Row
2 hours, 15 minutes (including an intermission)
Through March 15