Rennaisance Theaterworks, Milwaukee's only women-founded, women-run theater company, is in its full glory with a rerun of its 1999 hit, Full Gallop. This one-woman show again pairs actor Angela Iannone and the character Diana Vreeland. It is a match made in heaven.
Iannone, now slightly closer in age to the 70ish Vreeland portrayed in the play, is perhaps even more convincing in the role. She seems to walk more stiffly now yet still retains a dancer's elegant grace (Vreeland attended a number of ballet schools as a youngster). However, we are reminded that this is "acting," after all, when Iannone tosses off her age at a moment's notice.
As the play opens, Vreeland has just returned from a European vacation following the unceremonious "dumping' she received at Vogue (she was the magazine's editor). "Vogue was never very good about letting people go," she muses to herself while sitting in her opulent apartment. She recalls a very humorous episode about a co-worker who received similar news when his desk was being carted away by movers. These anecdotes pepper the play and add an endearing element to Vreeland's character. Otherwise, we see her barking out orders to her assistant on the intercom (an excellent voiceover played by Marie Kohler), or speaking in a clipped voice to certain well wishers who call to welcome her home to New York.
Taking the audience into her confidence, Vreeland sometimes makes outrageous pronouncements. She concludes the conversation with an impish look, making the audience wonder whether she really believes this or not. The phone rings frequently throughout the play. Vreeland confidently tells callers she is eager to move ahead to the next phase of her life, "full gallop." Privately, the audience witnesses the fact that Vreeland isn't always as sure of herself as the image she presents to the public. Widowed and nearly destitute, she knows she must use her social and professional connections to find another job. (Heaven forbid that she should curb her free-spending ways!) She even keeps up the facade in the presence of her family. One of her two adult sons calls from California, offering to put her up if necessary. Vreeland waves this away with a laugh. As the play continues, a more and more desperate Vreeland sees the wisdom in accepting her only job offer -- managing the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the audience knows, this will become another element of Vreeland's legacy.
Director Laura Gordon keeps the pacing brisk but not rushed. Iannone is allowed enough time to communicate her feelings and situation in numerous, non-verbal ways. The set of Vreeland's living room, awash in red, is beautiful in both detail and design.
