Zona Gale’s Miss Lulu Bett was written 100+ years ago, but the script is fresh, rich, and modern. It is maddening and hopeful. It’s been a long time since I have felt such real indignation and frustration for a fictional character. (Maybe since I first read Ella Enchanted 20 years ago?)

The brief synopsis from Different Stages’ marketing lead me to believe it might be a charming but old-fashioned feminist meditation. I was wrong! Lulu Bett (Bethany Harbaugh), never married at the old age of 33, is kept as a cook and general housemaid by her own sister and brother-in-law, the Deacons, who do nothing but complain about her looks, her clothes, and any small thing she might do wrong, and allow their bratty young daughters to mistreat her. As the play progresses and Lulu becomes more confident, slipping out of the Deacons’ control, the play becomes an illustration not just of one woman’s search for independence, but of the lengths that abusive men like Dwight Deacon (Ian King) will go to in order to maintain control over “their” women. It becomes clear that even the other women who mistreat Lulu – her sister Ina (Suzanne Balling, simpering and cowering), her niece Diana (Lucky Cantu, young, rash, and boundary-pushing, though she occasionally falls into “I Am Acting” habits) – are not safe from Dwight just because they are his wife and daughter. Dwight is obnoxious and overbearing at the beginning, but as Lulu pushes back, he becomes angrier and more sinister, inventing new threats to keep her silent and subservient and taking out his frustrations on everyone else in the process.

Contrasting Dwight, the men who push Lulu along on her journey to independence are charming and wonderful in their own ways. Bryan Headrick’s Ninian is carefree, energetic, and hard to look away from. Beau Paul’s Mr. Cornish is quieter, more careful, more awkward, and cares so deeply for Lulu that he can hardly look away. Another great performance is given by Katherine Schroeder as Ina and Lulu’s mother, Mrs. Bett; her character is often confused, but when she is of clear mind she is commanding. Every actor in this production is so real, so authentic and compelling (especially Harbaugh) that the audience spontaneously applauded when Lulu finally broke free and made off on her own for good.

The set (Charles Boas) makes good use of The Vortex’s small space. The stage is somewhat crowded in the first two scenes, with a full dining table in the middle of it; the actors had more room to move during the second and third acts, which take place on the Deacons’ porch. It’s almost as if the stage is intentionally too small for all of the people on it. It suffocates and crowds and doesn’t let anyone move…much like the man whose house it represents.

The costumes (Ann Shelley Ford) feel lived-in and real, except for two complaints: Harbaugh’s very fake looking wig (which does get better when she does her hair “up” in the second half), and the unfortunate use of mid-price nude character shoes for some outfits. I know everyone does it! I just don’t like it!

For some reason, director Norman Blumesaadt has included a second intermission between acts two and three, despite the fact that act three is only about 20 minutes long. Adding a second 15-minute break didn’t really do anything but lengthen the entire evening. But the rest of his creation was wonderful enough that I can forgive it. Just don’t order a drink next door during Intermission #2 and expect to finish it with leisure.

Photo: Steve Rogers

Miss Lulu Bett runs through December 9, 2023 at The Vortex. For tickets and information, visit Different Stages’ website here.