“I’m not a writer with a drinking problem, I’m a drinker with a writing problem.”
Dorothy Parker may be best known for the quotes that have long outlived her, but there was far more to the legendary writer than just her wit. Her life is celebrated and her work comes alive in East Lynne Theater Company’s production of “Dorothy Parker: A Certain Woman.” The play runs from June 15 through July 23 at The Cape May Presbyterian Church where the company is in residence.
Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) was a poet, journalist, critic, screenwriter, human rights activist, and philanthropist. She was a member of The Algonquin Round Table, a popular writer for "The New Yorker," won the O. Henry Short Story Award for "The Big Blonde," and received two Oscar nominations — the first for the original "A Star is Born” and the second for “Smash Up: The Story of a Woman.” A collection of her work, "The Portable Dorothy Parker," has never been out of print.
Even though she is well known as a New Yorker, she was actually born in Long Branch while her family was spending the summer at their Jersey Shore cottage. The town honored her with the first Dorothy Parker Day on August 21, 2005 to celebrate the Friends of Libraries U.S.A. plaque created to mark her birthplace. She was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame as part of its 2014 class. Parker later attended a finishing school in Morristown called Miss Dana's School. She graduated from there in 1911, at the age of 18.
Suzanne Dawson stars in the one-woman play that was researched and compiled by James Rana, Gayle Stahlhuth served as dramaturg and also directs the play.
According to Rana, the idea for the play came during one of East Lynne’s Tales of the Victorians — a weekly event each Thursday during the summer where an actor reads stories for about 40 minutes in front of an audience. It was traditionally done on a porch at one of Cape May’s bed & breakfast inns, but the pandemic forced a change.
“With the pandemic and everything shutting down, as East Lynne was trying to work within the confines of everything, we started doing Tales in the Backyard,” recalled James Rana. “It was done in a backyard where we were able to space things out. This really meant a lot, especially in the summer of 2020. Some people drove hours to see it because they wanted to see something live.”
Suzanne Dawson did one of the Tales in the Backyard and brought a lot of work by Dorothy Parker. “She was just great,” said Rana. “She was off-the-cuff and gave stories about Dorothy. She read some of Parker’s wonderful pieces, everyone had a great time and it was a laugh we needed desperately.”
At one point, Gayle Stahlhuth said to Rana, “This could be a show.”
East Lynne Theater Company had a good response to “The World of Dorothy Parker” — a play by Stahlhuth that ran a decade earlier. That play featured four people taking turns reading works by Parker. With Covid-19 in full force, the Artistic Director at East Lynne wondered if one-person shows might be a good way to go.
Suzanne Dawson has been seen at East Lynne many times including "Berkeley Square”, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” ”The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” "The Butter and Egg Man,” and ”The World of Dorothy Parker.” One of her many regional productions was "Rumors" at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. She then toured with "Rumors" and starred opposite Gavin Macleod in "Last of the Red Hot Lovers."
Dawson once had a club act in Manhattan during the seventies and equates a one-person show as “stepping on a high wire and there’s no net.” But she knows that unless someone is a member of the Dorothy Parker Society they probably won’t know if a line comes out wrong or not.
“It’s all me, but it’s also all Dorothy,” said Dawson. “It’s not all light and fluffy. Dorothy was an activist. She left everything she had to Martin Luther King, Jr. and was quite a philanthropist. She got herself jailed going to demonstrations. When fascism was rising in Hollywood, she campaigned against it. She’s got a thick FBI file and we do talk about it. She was devoted to civil freedom, that’s the bottom line.”
The play originally ran last fall. Gayle Stahlhuth decided to bring it back for a couple of reasons: the original run had smaller audiences than usual due to the pandemic; changing the season would also allow a different audience to see it; Gayle felt Dawson was just getting into her groove with the show; and, perhaps most of all, she loves Parker.
“I want to spread the word about Dorothy Parker,” Stahlhuth disclosed. “There’s just something about her, she just has a way with words. She died in the 1960s and I was in college in the 1960s. We all knew about Parker in my generation, but with every decade you just feel the next group won’t know about this magnificently flawed woman. She was so witty, so wonderful, and could just spin all of her flaws into this writing that still resonates today. I just want to keep her alive.”
Stahlhuth loved seeing two women dressed like they were from the late 1930s at one show last fall. “They just adored Parker that much and I don’t think they were over the age of 30, but had already latched on to Dorothy. I think it’s the independent woman thing — that’s what resonates with any generation of women.”
Dawson has long been a fan as well.
“I love Dorothy Parker,” said Dawson. “I find her funny and smart. Something about her voice resonates with me. I find it just rolls off my tongue. Dorothy was born on a night with a storm and born premature. She always maintained it was the last time she was early for anything! Dorothy was such a piece of work. She grew up with privilege and then lost her money. Women of her class were never taught any house work or maintenance because it was assumed you’d always have a servant. She always lived in hotels because she didn’t know how to boil an egg, change the sheets, or do the laundry.”
James Rana hopes the play shines a light on her entire life rather than just the quotes she’s remembered for.
“I think it’s easy for a humorist to get boxed in as a humorist or comic,” noted Rana. “Dorothy was a wonderful wit and her humor and observations are extraordinary, but there was so much more. She was politically involved. She wrote at such a pivotal time — especially being a woman — and what she accomplished was amazing. People love Dorothy, but people hated her for the things she believed politically or for what Dorothy did not agree with. She did not mind speaking up. Even today there are so many times I want to say something, but if I do people could get angry and we all see how people deal with anger. Dorothy wasn’t afraid. She was arrested and responded with her wit. I can see why people are still hungry for Dorothy Parker.”
As an actor, Rana has a strong resume, including being part of the Broadway original cast for “The Band’s Visit.” He has acted in several plays at East Lynne and has had his work premiere there many times as well. It’s a partnership that Rana appreciates greatly.
“It’s a wonderful relationship and a wonderful opportunity,” stated Rana. “I think it’s something that so many young actors need. It’s very easy in this field to feel completely alone and frustrated. All artists need a place that is like home where they can grow and develop; make mistakes and have victories; enjoy themselves and be with like-minded people. East Lynne, over the years, has provided that to me. There were times when I really needed that when I was alone. I think that’s why I’ve always found myself going back there.”
Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for general admission; $30 for seniors; $20 for full-time students and military (active/retired/veteran) and ages 12 and under are free. The Cape May Presbyterian Church is located at 500 Hughes Street. To learn more about the show and purchase tickets visit Eastlynnetheater.org or call 609-884-5898.
