The play Glensheen is at the History Theatre in St. Paul, and for those of you not familiar with Minnesota, Glensheen, along with being name of an estate in the port city of Duluth, on Lake Superior, is also a code-word for the famous Congdon murders, in which heiress Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse were murdered one night, a crime pinned on her son-in-law and, while not convicted, her adopted daughter.
This play is a musical presentation of the events, more or less in chronological order: introduction to both adopted daughters (the play gives out that the old lady was infertile), the introduction of Marjorie, the “bad” daughter, to her future husband at a meeting for single parents (it’s not mentioned in the play, but at this point Marjorie had seven children and divorced after 20 years of marriage). A whirlwind romance and marriage, followed by a rebuffed request for money to buy a ranch, followed by the actual murder: all put to music by Chan Poling. Such is the first act.
The second act details the blowback: arrests, trials, guilty and not guilty, and more importantly the narcissism of Marjorie, her callous use of her husband, and the later arrests and convictions for other crimes; and the revelation of sociopathy.
In terms of performance, this is well done. The stage is multiple use without requiring actual modification, and does not squeak in protest to movement. However, if you go, avoid seats on the extreme left, as this is also the residence of the orchestra, and we definitely had trouble hearing the lyrics over the admittedly talented instrumentalists. Lighting seemed well done, and I think a more reasonable seating selection would have enabled us to hear the lyrics very clearly.
And the performances were quite sound, from the trust’s board who denies financing to Marjorie to Marjorie and her new husband, Roger, each is a well-drawn, quirky character. But the standout is the actress behind the victim, Elizabeth Congdon, as well as the character loosely based on Ron Meshbesher, who defended Marjorie in the initial murder trial, and one or two others. I suspect this is Ruthie Baker, but the History Theatre is not explicit with the casting. She was inspiring through contrast, starting with the sober little old lady Elizabeth (84 when murdered), which sets us up when she plays the loud, colorful defense attorney, and a couple of others. She’s a treat.
But in terms of the treatment of the subject matter … I’m bothered that a brutal, callous double murder is treated quite so lightly. Perhaps I’m overly sober these days, but it seems a little disrespectful of the victims. I’ll mitigate this remark by saying the murdered nurse, Velma, has one set piece dedicated to her, and it was a very respectful piece, devoid of the humor supporting the other musical numbers.
More importantly, this was an entertainment, not an insight. Its a simple recounting of events, with music and singing and clevernesss, but there is little insight to the murder. So Marjorie is a sociopath – so what? Was the sociopathy a result of her upbringing, or genetic? We have no clue. Roger was easily manipulated – maybe that’s of interest? Yet we’re not even sure of the accuracy of his conviction, as his eventual post-trial confession was motivated by the offer of an immediate release from jail. Why did he commit suicide later? And what of her children, barely noticed in the play – do they have similar behavior patterns, or are they … normal?
I suppose this is best described as a cautionary lesson of some sort: don’t let your children kill you, or your sad deaths may be celebrated in song and dance. Which, in some ways, is not a bad way to be remembered.
