"Call me Ishmael. Call me irresponsible."   This is just one of a cascade of literary one-liners that descend on an audience viewing "Mr. and Mrs. Fitch" which is currently playing at the Second Stage Theatre.  The play, by Douglas Carter Beane,  deals with the basic definition of success in contemporary culture which for many is simply to be famous.  Famous at any cost, even if that fame comes in the absence of any real accomplishment or distinction.  

John Lithgow and Jennifer Ehle star as Manhattan celebrity columnists who have been issued an ultimatum by their editor.  They must submit a truly sensational article on short notice or their column will be discontinued.  Although initially stumped,  the Fitch's invent a non-existent celebrity, Jamie Glenn.   Glenn creates such a splash in their column that his fame takes on a momentum of its own.  Other media outlets amazingly begin to report on Glenn's manufactured activities and his notoriety rapidly spreads.  As Mrs. Fitch says, "Fiction is the new reality." 

Although the subject matters that they deal with in their gossip columns are basically superficial, Mr. and Mrs. Fitch are a deeply literate couple.  The two engage in an almost constant form of literary one-upmanship to see who can form a witty literary allusion. It is a testament to the writing ability of  Beane that tremendous humor is generated in references to Edith Wharton, Virginia Wolf and Evelyn Waugh,  to name but a few authors in the Fitchs' lettered galaxy.  It would probably take at least three or four viewings of the play for even the most sophisticated audience-goer to catch all of the humorous cultural allusions. 

  

Although the comedy can be very erudite, the humor in Mr. and Mrs. Fitch is never dry or sterile.   Those who are not as literary-minded as the Fitch's need not be intimidated as the infectious exuberance and virtual musicality of the actors' performances creates genuine dramatic excitement.   It is also wonderful to listen to a script in which the author challenges the audience instead of pandering to it.   The tenor and the delivery of the dialogue in the play remind a viewer of the rapid-fire dialogue in the 1930's screwball Hollywood comedies featuring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, or Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn.  Mr.  Lithgow sings several excerpts from Cole Porter and George Gershwin to highlight the play's cultural connection to 1930's sophistication. 

  

The comedy offers an interesting snapshot of how information is transmitted in the early 21th century.  The irony is that the very explosion of methods of communication through the internet, blogs, twitter, etc.  can make it more difficult to determine what the truth actually is. Facts may be circulated before being checked.  Fame and celebrity can be manufactured virtually overnight to masses that enjoy being titillated, even if those same masses suspect in the back of their minds that they are being manipulated.   The play humorously examines the superficiality of much of popular culture and the danger of having a relative approach to reality. 

Like their cinematic counterparts referred to above,   John Lithgow and Jennifer Ehle have tremendous synergy and charisma as a couple.   Like any true duo,  each derives inspiration and energy from their partner.   It is a great challenge for two actors to carry a full length play and one can only admire the sparkle and zest that Lithgow and Ehle bring to their roles.   

Director Scott Ellis keeps the play visually interesting on the single unit set, a spectacular Manhattan apartment designed by Allen Moyer.  Although they may have ambivalent feelings about their gossip column, the Fitchs have clearly been amply rewarded for it.   Visiting Mr. and Mrs. Fitch in their dapper digs can make for a very rewarding evening.