Mostly, "Waiting in the Wings" is, now, what it was in the early 60s, when it was written by Noël Coward: a good reason to assemble a large group of elderly actresses for something of an Occasion that would remind you how vital they still can be–and in some cases how much you loved them when they were younger and still highly visible on the scene.
The setting is "The Wings" a retirement home in England for old actresses, and in a play of small events, rather than large story, the primary event is the arrival of the warmly open Lotta Bainbridge (Lauren Bacall), whose feud with a veteran resident, the aloof and condescending May Davenport (Rosemary Harris) was never resolved during their working lives and now seems destined to flare up anew. This tale intertwines with others, among them the machinations of devoted caregiver Perry Lascoe (Simon Jones) to raise funds for a new solarium for the old ladies without getting him and martinet superintendent Sylvia Archibald (Dana Ivey) in trouble. Of course, the various old ladies all have distinct personalities and backstories that touch and amuse and raise fond nostalgia to varying degrees, and finally there’s old Osgood Meeker (Barnard Hughes), who visits the one offstage resident, who is nearly 100, once a week.
The play is very sentimental, despite its author’s signature dry wit, and it’s most kindly regarded as a multiple character study, with little in the way of structure, whose spine seems to be emphasizing the respect these senior citizens–and by extension, most senior citizens–are due. But it must be added that if Mr. Coward does view this last chapter of life through rose-colored glasses, one can’t fault the nobility of the message.
As directed by Michael Langham, the production is as respectable as it can be, without being remarkable, but that’s all right, as the many ladies who populate The Wings are, in their way, remarkable enough. As are the stalwart younger supporting players, who also include "Gypsy" and "Big"’s Crista Moore as a tabloid journalist with a taste for Emma Peel leather in her wardrobe (at least as designed by Alvin Colt).
As for the stars…quite honestly, their presence is more remarkable than their actual performances. Ms. Bacall is solidly reliable, her charisma in low gear; and Ms. Harris, though clearly far more intriguing and accomplished a stage actress, is playing a subdued role which keeps her considerable skills restrained. The restraint is entirely appropriate, but it reduces the actress to something merely a few kliks above a guest star with a prominent cameo.
You can’t be sorry to see "Waiting in the Wings", not if you have any regard for the past–the real past–up there on that stage, nor any sensitivity about the fading gray twilight that eventually awaits us all. But I’d be very surprised if, in golden years, when all our memories are precious, this production even springs to mind…