Theater Review: NU’s ‘February House’ captures bygone artist era

February House, now at Northwestern University’s Barber Theater, is based on real people who lived at 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn, New York between 1940 and 1941. George Davis (Abraham Deitz-Green, a strong and convincing presence), is a former editor at Harper’s Bazaar. He has rented a run-down Victorian brownstone and invited his friends to move in as roommates and tenants.

Each artist struggles. They are variously without ideas for their writing or composing, without funds or drinking too much. The Nazis are taking over Europe and they wrestle with the role of the artist during a time of war. It’s illegal to be a homosexual, yet they can’t deny who they are. At 7 Middagh, they could live, love, argue, collaborate and flourish in safety. For a short time, they did.

Fascinating characters

They called it February House because many of its occupants had February birthdays. Davis affectionately calls them his “menagerie” and “a fabulous freak show.” He looks after the residents and alternates between being a concerned parent, strict coach or enthusiastic camp counselor. This cast, in sync and bonded, clearly enjoy their roles.

Davis creates a home for the Southern novelist Carson McCullers (Sadie Fridley, excellent). She is dealing with writer’s block, drinking excessively and newly separated from her volatile husband; she needs a refuge. Davis offers a home to renowned British poet Wystan Hugh Auden (Esteban Ortiz-Villacorta, ideal casting) and the poet and librettist Chester Kallman (Henry Jones, an able partner), Auden’s lover.

The British composer Benjamin Britten (Lucca Silva) and the British tenor Peter Pears (Joshua Messmore) move in. In real life, they will become professional and romantic partners for nearly 40 years. Silva and Pears are well paired on stage and play two halves of a whole. Their story comes full circle when they sing California in Act 2.

In an interview with lyricist Gabriel Kahane in January right as rehearsals started, he said that the real life team of Britten and Pears were very serious. For this musical, their characters are more in the style of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Soon after, Erika Mann (Julia Yanosik-Perez, a commanding presence), a German cabaret artist, writer and intellectual, moved in. Mann was married to Auden, but their marriage was never consummated. He married her to give her British citizenship and secure her a passport so she could leave Germany. “It was the best gift you ever gave me,” she reminds him.

The last resident to move in was Gypsy Rose Lee (Arwen-Vira Marsh, adorably campy with a lot of moxie). The celebrity burlesque dancer was at the height of her fame and the only tenant who paid consistently. She was friends with Davis and lived there while she worked on her novel, The G-String Murders. The novel sold well when it was published in 1941. In 1943 it was adapted into a movie, Lady of Burlesque starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Kahane’s music, lyrics shine

The musical tells the story of those months. There is creative turmoil and vulnerability mixed with personal jealousies, boiler breaks, bedbugs and alarm about the war in Europe. The music and lyrics Kahane wrote support the script admirably. Some of the songs are beautiful. Listen closely to A Room Comes Together, Coney Island, A Little Brain, Goodnight to the Boardinghouse and California. They are poignant and lovely though not especially memorable. The catchiest song deals with, and is titled, Bedbugs. Try not to scratch when you hear it.

A note to those who design the pamphlets handed out to theatergoers and the online versions accessed by QR codes: next time, please include a list of the songs in the show and which characters sing them.

The story (Seth Bockley) and script drags, though that’s not the fault of the cast or director Seth Roseman. It could probably be tightened or shortened. At times I had difficulty hearing some of the song lyrics and dialogue clearly. Perhaps because of technical issues, an overly loud musical section or poor mic placement, I’m not sure.

The set creates February House

The set (A Inn Doo) is fantastic. All the action takes place on one set, a collection of Victorian furniture and castaways, odd lights and bric-a-brac. Together it creates a world unto itself. The costumes (Gin Ko) set the tone and style of the day, and are punctuation marks around the set. Interesting lighting (Chelsea Strebe) effects delight the eye when it is evening.

Marsh as Gypsy Rose Lee kills it when she sings A Little Brain. Kudos to the burlesque consultant, Marian “Lo Ca” Lo Casto. The dance is a big wink to the audience. It livens up what until then had been a somewhat dreary story. The house needs repairs; there isn’t enough money to pay for repairs; this one needs a new idea for their novel/opera/song/poem; that one’s lover treats them badly. We get it. That’s why Gypsy Rose Lee is a breath of fresh air.

An idea that almost worked

The idea of February House, of a creative and supportive community, was admirable and idealistic. By 1941 all of the original occupants except Davis had moved to other states or countries. He stayed there, sometimes with others, until 1945. Soon after the building was torn down to make way for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

There are posters in the lobby that compare 1940-41 Brooklyn with 2024-25 Evanston. It’s a selective soapbox that distracts from the artistry on stage.

February House is playing at the Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive on Northwestern’s Evanston campus. Tickets are available Feb. 27-March 2. Prices vary depending on age and student status. Audience advisories: strong language, adult themes and violence. Suggested ages 13-plus. Running time is 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.

Theater Review: NU’s ‘February House’ captures bygone artist era is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.