Class, romance, families clash in beautifully staged ‘Howards End’

Eliza Stoughton and Mark Ulrich star in Remy Bumppo’s production of “Howards End.” | Michael Courier

A meditation on class, greed and inheritance, “Howards End,” now being staged by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Theater Wit, offers a thoughtful evening of exquisitely staged storytelling. Adapted by Douglas Post from the novel by E.M. Forster, and beautifully directed by Nick Sandys, this adaptation is not unlike a corset made with spandex: providing new flexibility to traditionally restrictive material.

Set in the beginning of the 20th century, industry is booming and London is modernizing rapidly. Scenic and projections designer Yeaji Kim accentuates the mood with video snippets of traffic and chimneys belching smoke into the streets, in stark contrast to the sumptuous Edwardian costumes by Kristy Leigh Hall.

The wife of wealthy business tycoon Henry Wilcox (played by a stern yet emotional Mark Ulrich) has recently passed away and bequeathed her modest manor, Howards End, to an obscure friend. Baffled and bewildered by her decision, the family ignores her wishes.

Inevitably, Wilcox crosses paths with said friend, quickly thickening the plot. Eliza Stoughton is a tour-de-force as refined society lady Margaret Schlegel, living alone with her fiery socialist sister Helen, portrayed with delightful impetuousness by Heather Chrisler.

As women of leisure their days are filled with intellectual pursuits, arts, and attempts to find a sense of usefulness in a world with strict boundaries as to a woman’s place. This desire leads them to turn toward helping the less-fortunate for entertainment, and fate subsequently brings an intelligent young man of modest means to their doorstep. Terry Bell gives an engaging and nuanced performance as the man, Leonard Bast, striving to achieve a higher station while remaining dignified as life humbles him far more than necessary.

Natalie Santoro (from left), Mark Ulrich, Eliza Stoughton, Terry Bell and Heather Chrisler in a scene from Remy Bumppo’s production of “Howards End.”

As Margaret and Helen take on Leonard as their pet project, and Wilcox solicits Margaret’s hand in a marriage of convenience, we see the power dynamics between the upper, middle and lower classes playing out simultaneously. At one end we have the seemingly soulless Wilcox, engulfed in his endless pursuit of money, unable to acknowledge the human costs of the rubber trade that turns his profits. One the other end, we have Leonard and his bawdy wife Jacky (delightfully portrayed by Jodi Kingsley) falling further and further into despair despite their best efforts.

In the middle are the Schlegel sisters, caught between their human desire to help those in need, and Wilcox’s paternally stern assertions to not get involved. Expertly woven class tension is the driving force of “Howard’s End,” and what ultimately makes it an engaging story. This is amplified by the choice to cast Leonard as a Black man, a decision that adds a cringeworthy and modern twist, as Margaret and Helen inappropriately insert themselves into his life and begin meddling by offering “...anything except money.”

Ultimately “Howards End” is a story with a soul, a play that captures the keening desire of each character to escape the constraints of their lives, an excavation of the pain that comes with the vulnerability of relying on other people, and poignantly illustrates the essence of exactly what makes a house a home.

Sheri Flanders is a local freelance writer.