The Great God Brown

Eugene O’Neill wrote “The Great God Brown” over a century ago, but it wasn’t staged until the early 1930s and remains rarely performed today. The Dilys Guite Players have revived it to highlight its enduring value as a dramatic work. The script requires four characters to each don one or two distinct masks. These masks alter the characters’ mental attitudes, personalities, and emotions according to the context and presence of other characters and it’s all a constant battle. This requires full attention from the cast, as each member must flawlessly deliver a large amount of dialogue throughout the performance.

The success of the play is thanks to the dedication of director Matt Hutchinson, assistant director Hannah Pamplin, and six talented actors, all of whom have worked tirelessly to bring this near-Shakespearean production to life. Acting quality was superb from every member of the cast.

Dion Anthony and William (Billy) Brown, childhood friends whose fathers were business partners, eventually inherit the family business. Dion, a gifted artist and architect, has little interest in the company, while Billy is its driving force. The men are rivals in their love for Margaret, but her affections are for Dion.  However, Billy has always thought that he is far more superior than Dion, hence the title of the play.

From Dion’s first entrance he his wearing one of the masks, expressing one of his personalities, and this is one Margaret falls for. When he removes this mask, he becomes a totally different person, struggling with life and quoting passages from the Bible. As time moves on, he has yet another mask, that of the Devil. He then goes back to the previous mask depending upon who he is with at the time. Ryan Pugh excelled as Dion; with a single word, he was able to switch personalities seamlessly and adapt his body language perfectly to fit each character. He didn’t appear to come up for breath. 

Michael Staples portrays Billy, a reserved business owner who secretly loves Margaret. After Dion dies from a heart attack caused by his drinking, Billy hides the body and disguises himself as Dion using his mask to deceive Margaret. However, she becomes suspicious and when the truth emerges, Billy is accused of murdering his alter ego.

Eventually Billy dies and years later Margaret declares her undying love for Dion’s mask.  Michael Staples delivered an outstanding t performance, skilfully shifting between personalities and masks.

Helena Jones gave an exceptional performance as Margaret, skilfully portraying the duality of her character - she wore a mask when with Dion but removed it around Billy, until Billy disguised himself as Dion. Her ability to switch personalities according to the circumstances was impressive. Alice Ravencroft stood out as Cybel, a prostitute visited by Dion. Cybel also wore a mask, but only took it off when Billy, as himself, came to see her. 

Each character in this remarkable production maintains continuity, with Jessica de Souza and Jack Hewitt taking on multiple roles. They demonstrated exceptional skill in portraying their characters, contributing significantly to the seamless execution of the play.

This was an outstanding production. Each member of the cast delivered a substantial amount of dialogue, with clarity and appropriate emotional range within a very intricate plot. Everyone involved with this unique production should take pride in their accomplishment. The direction, set design - including effective back-projection to indicate scene location and timing - the atmospheric music, costumes and mask design, were excellent. 

The quality of a production is clear from the audience's reaction. From the first scene to the last, they were captivated - silent throughout and enthusiastically applauding at the end.

I thought that this was a performance that ticked all the boxes. Thank you for the invitation and the warm welcome I always receive from Dilys Guite Players                                                                         

Sue Cox  NODA NE Drama Rep Region 14

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