Pacific Resident Theatre presents The Bespoke Overcoat. Written by Wolf Mankowitz. Directed by Marilyn Fox and Dana Jackson.
Fender (Harry Herman) is a poor Jewish clerk working in a cold clothing warehouse. He wears an old coat that is falling apart. He asks his boss, Ranting (Bruce Nozick), to let him purchase a coat from the warehouse and pay in installments. Ranting refuses and tells Fender that he would never be able to pay the coat. Fender then decides to ask his Jewish friend Morry (Robert Lesser), who is a tailor, to make him a bespoke overcoat. They agree on the cost and Morry starts working on the overcoat. Unfortunately, Ranting fires Fender after 43 years of service. Fender tells Morry to cancel the order for the overcoat as he no longer has money to pay for it. Feeling sorry for Fender, Morry agrees to finish the overcoat.
Before Morry can finish the overcoat, Fender dies of cold. When Morry comes back from the funeral, he finds Fender’s ghost sitting on his bed. The ghost tells Morry that he wants to go to Ranting’s warehouse at night and take a sheepskin overcoat as payment for all the years of service. They leave and enter the warehouse.
Wolf Mankowitz adapted the play from Nikolai Gogol‘s The Overcoat, a short story written in 1842 and set in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia at the time. Mankowitz adapts the story to the impoverished East End of London, a neighborhood where many Jews worked in the clothing industry. In the play, a simple necessity becomes a symbol of the hardships of the poor. The overcoat, an essential item to survive the cold weather, represents the struggles and the dreams of those living in precarious conditions. Fender succumbs to the weather and dies without a new overcoat.
Directors Marilyn Fox and Dana Jackson recreate in great detail the grittiness and scarcity of the living conditions portrayed in the script. The extraordinary acting also projects the simplicity of the story, but also the depth of the characters. Herman is excellent as Fender. He explores poignantly the misery and the humble dreams of an old man at the twilight of his life, suffering the indignities of the working class. Lesser as Morry is exceptional as well, capturing the friendship and the regrets represented in his character.
Both Herman and Lesser transport the audience to a time of adversity for the Jewish community in London. The Jews living in London when Mankowitz wrote the script were still facing blatant and inconspicuous antisemitism by the British society, even when the Jews were contributing to the advancement of England’s culture and economy. Fender coming back to life to take a coat from Ranting’s business is a symbol of the right to demand a fair deal in life, whether by the Jews or the working class in general.
The story seems simple, but it contains a deep meaning when the historical context is taken into account. Ranting represents more than just an abusive boss. Fender represents more than just an old clerk. And Morry represents more than just a friend. Fox and Jackson stage a production that brings forward the humanity and hope of the characters and the resilience of a whole community living under adverse conditions in uncertain times.
The Bespoke Overcoat
Pacific Resident Theatre
703 Venice Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
Opening: 8pm Saturday, March 9, 2024
Schedule: 8pm Thursdays – Saturdays; 3pm Sundays
Closing: June 2, 2024
Tickets: pacificresidenttheatre.org
Playwright: Wolf Mankowitz. Directors: Marilyn Fox and Dana Jackson. Presented by Pacific Resident Theatre. Cast: Harry Herman, Robert Lesser, Bruce Nozick, and Tobias Echeverria. Creative team: Rich Rose (Scenic Design), Leigh Allen (Lighting Design), Audrey Eisner (Costume Design), Chris Moscatiello (Sound Design), Doug Prazak (Prop Design), Jody Fasanella (Assistant Director), Teak Piegdon-Brainin (Stage Manager).
