“The Mystery of Love and Sex”- A look at the intimacy of incompatibility

By Judd Hollander

The path to true love does not always run smooth. You always hurt the one you love. Time-worn clichés perhaps, but still quite accurate in Bathsheba Doran's penetrating The Mystery of Love and Sex, now at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.

College roommates Charlotte (Gayle Rankin) and Jonny (Mamoudou Athie) seem a perfect match. Best friends since childhood, the two have an easygoing and comfortable chemistry, appearing to all observers, including Charlotte's parents Lucinda (Diane Lane) and Howard (Tony Shalhoub), that they've moved to a new and more romantic stage in their relationship.

However while Charlotte and Jonny may be intimate in some ways, in others they're miles apart. Jonny is a devout Baptist and a virgin, saving himself for marriage, while Charlotte is so in love with Jonny she strips her clothes off one night, begging him to take her right then and there. Though as soon becomes clear, just about all of Charlotte and Jonny's afore-mentioned certainties are untrue. Both of them carrying secrets having to do with sexual preferences, pairings and partners and what they see as acceptable and what is not.

It’s a situation Jonny refuses to admit. This refusal making him so closed off, he seems totally disengaged from everyone. An attitude Howard immediately picks up on. Charlotte on the other hand so desperately tries to deny her own feelings, she channels them in completely inappropriate directions, ones which can only lead to disaster. The only truism between Charlotte and Jonny is they are indeed soul mates and best friends who should be able to tell each other everything. Yet their attempts to deny their own personal proclivities threaten to destroy them both.

A further complication is Howard. At first he’s not at all sure Jonny is right for his daughter, but when he comes to realize how much Charlotte loves him, Howard tries to convince Jonny that he and Charlotte are meant to be together. Though unbeknownst to Howard, his own relationship with Diane may not be as rosy as it appears and thus he may not be the best  judge of Charlotte and Jonny's situation. There's also the possibility that Howard, a New York Jew and a successful writer of detective fiction, may object to Jonny simply because he's black.

For a rather intimate tale, Doran has created a sweeping canvas for her story. One spanning five years, numerous relationships and locations, as well as matters including religion, race, parental responsibility and homophobia. The latter issues coming into play when Jonny accuses Howard of perpetuating too many stereotypes in his writings; as well asking the older man if what he wrote could have been responsible for a childhood incident involving Charlotte.

A major strength of the story is that neither Charlotte nor Jonny are fully deserving of the audience's sympathy, the tale showing first one, then the other to be seemingly insensitive, uncaring or just plain obnoxious, and certainly not best friend material. Yet both characters, especially Charlotte are almost immediately so interesting, one becomes quite willing to see where the narrative will take them.

Rankin turns in a powerhouse performance as Charlotte. A girl continually wearing her emotions on her sleeve, while seeing her love for Jonny as the solution to everything. Though her best laid plans often backfire. Such as when Jonny gets involved with another girl and Charlotte gets roaring drunk and proceeds to publicly humiliate him.

Athie is good as Jonny, the character coming off as a mostly standoffish cipher; at least until his own personal issues are brought to light. Jonny's attempts to keep everything hidden eventually earning Charlotte wrath, and leading to his own personal meltdown.

Shalhoub works nicely as the deceptively quiet and very methodical Howard. Rather off-putting when first seen, the character turns out to be quite complex and intelligent; having a strength that comes from experience while going the extra mile to ensure his daughter's happiness. Though his attempts in that direction are sometimes skewed by his not knowing all the facts before diving in.

Lane is fine as Lucinda, though the character is the least defined of the four. A free sprit, she finds herself more and more constrained in Howard too-structured world, not to mention his perfunctory attitude towards sex. Yet like Charlotte and Jonny, Lucinda and Howard share a complex bond, one neither can completely break.

Sam Gold's direction is strong, quickly showing the chemistry between Charlotte and Jonny as well as nicely choreographing the various confrontational scenes between the characters. Costumes by Kaye Voyce work well, especially the outfit Charlotte wears in the final scene.

Involving and ultimately uplifting, The Mystery of Love and Sex points out the importance of being true to oneself. Not a bad message to impart and Doran has presented a very good vehicle in which to do so.

Also in the cast is Bernie Passeltiner.

Featuring  Diane Lane (Lucinda), Tony Shalhoub (Howard), Gayle Rankin (Charlotte), Mamoudou Athie (Jonny), Bernie Passeltiner (Howard's Father).

The Mystery of Love and Sex

by  Bathsheba Doran

Sets: Andrew Lieberman

Costumes: Kaye Voyce

Lighting: Jane Cox

Original Music and Sound: Daniel Kluger

Stage Manager: Janet Takami

Assistant Stage Manager: Karen Evanouskas

Casting: Daniel Swee

Director of Marketing: Linda Mason Ross

General Press Agent: Philip Rinaldi

General Manager: Jessica Niebanck

Production Manager: Paul Smithyman

Directed by Sam Gold

Lincoln Center Theater at the Mitzi E. Newhouse

150 West 65th Street

Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com

Information: www.lct.org

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes with one intermission

Closes: April 26, 2015

“Posterity”- A Look At What Legacy Really Means

By Judd Hollander

Every so often in the theatre there are moments when an actor can come on stage and literally suck the air right of the room, so strong is his performance. Such a moment occurs when John Noble is first seen in Doug Wright's absolutely brilliant production of Posterity, now at the Atlantic Theater Company.

Norway, 1901. Sculptor Gustav Vigeland (Hamish Linklater) is a typical temperamental artist. A man with an intense work ethic, he disdains creating portraits and preening statues, preferring instead to craft pieces of real art. Such as a tableau involving a middle aged woman and a young man in a pose indicating multiple meanings. However Gustav's somewhat rash attitudes have also made him a person with an unfortunate reputation, one that's kept him more often then not only "a few kopecks shy of bankruptcy".

A possible chance of salvation arrives when Vigeland's benefactor, Sophus Larpent (Henry Stram) offers him a commission to sculpt a bust of Henrik Ibsen (Noble), the country's most famous playwright. At first Vigeland adamantly refuses, a refusal made more definite by the fact he must first audition for the job. However when Larpent explains that by making the bust of Ibsen, it might lead to the financial backing for Vigeland's own dream project - that of creating a majestic fountain in the town's square - he finally agrees. Adding to the urgency of the situation is the fact that Ibsen has been ill and thus this will probably be the last commissioned portrait of him before his death.

This is the basic set up for the show, establishing the characters and the situation. All of which changes the moment Nobel first appears, his commanding presence as Ibsen dominating everything and everyone in the room. It's quite interesting to watch the relationship between Ibsen and Vigeland as their initial scene together progresses. Each curious about the other while also having at least begrudging appreciation for the other's work. While Ibsen and Vigeland do not develop a master/apprentice relationship, there is a definite feeling of a younger generation trying to understand the older. These moments becoming particularly clear when Vigeland is sitting on the floor with Ibsen towering over him, the sculptor listening intently to what Ibsen has to say. Though as their conversation continues, their relationship begins to change to one of dueling antagonists. Vigeland tossing continuous verbal challenges at Ibsen, the latter neatly deflecting almost all, though there are a few that do get through. Listen for one particular moment, which also comes back as a nice bit of irony later on where Wright takes a swipe at the hypocrisy of people who criticize only when it's fashionable to do so, while conveniently forgetting what they've said previously when circumstances change. Another good bit of irony occurs when Larpent comments on how he was in the audience when one of Ibsen's most famous works was first preformed, Ibsen remarking how he's heard thousands of people tell him that over the years and how strange it was that the theatre only sat a few hundred.

A running theme throughout the play is the question of a person's legacy. Ibsen is both proud of his work and determined it is through his plays that he will be remembered. Vigeland on the other hand is desperate for Ibsen to allow him to do the portrait, humbling himself in ways he probably would never do otherwise in an attempt to lay the groundwork for his own legacy. There's also Anfinn Beck (Mickey Theis), Gustav's young apprentice, determined to strike out on his own and win a prestigious art competition; while Greta (Dale Soules), Larpent's housekeeper and Vigeland's latest model is more concerned of ensuring that her husband, child and herself will always have enough food to eat, she currently being the only breadwinner in the family. Something certainly not as grand as the aspirations of the other people presented, but still quite important in its own right.

Wright's script, as well as his direction, is letter perfect, The pace of the story slowly building the tension between the two main characters, culminating in a brilliant confrontation with both gentlemen holding firm to their own particular beliefs and goals. At least until each man's vulnerabilities are revealed, particularly in regards to who they've betrayed in their lives; as they realize each is dependant on the other in regards to how their legacy will be ensured.

Noble is excellent as Ibsen, showing him to be a powerful, strong and imposing figure, yet someone with a carefully constructed veneer so as not to let anyone get too close. Linklater's strong portrayal of Vigeland is the complete opposite. Coming across as blustering and argumentative while continually feeling the frustration at being so close to his own personal goal while knowing he can't achieve it without help. Linklater and Noble's scenes together among the best to grace the stage in this or any recent theatre season. Stram is good as Larpent, part bureaucrat, part art patron and, like many of his ilk, content to help the careers of others while not so much concerned about his own place in history. Soules gets off some nice comic and sarcastic moments as Greta, while also offering some plain truths on meaning of beauty. Theis is nicely earnest as the youthful Beck.

Derek McLane's set of Vigeland's studio is very well done and the transition technique used to switch to a drawing room in Ibsen's home is nicely handled. Lighting by David Lander is strong, the effects helping to add extra layers to the story, while being especially atmospheric in the aforementioned studio.

A powerful piece about being remembered and the hurts one incurs and inflects as they struggle to get to the top, Posterity is first rate theatre from the first spoken word to the last.

Featuring: Mickey Theis (Anfinn Beck), Dale Soules (Greta Bergstrom), Hamish Linklater (Gustav Vigeland), Henry Stram (Sophus Larpent), John Noble (Henrik Ibsen).

Posterity

written and directed by Doug Wright

Sets: Derek McLane

Costumes: Susan Hilferty

Lights: David Lander

Original Music & Sound: David Van Tieghem

Casting: Telsey + Company, William Cantler, CSA

Dialects: Deborah Hecht

Press: Boneau/Bryan-Brown

Production Stage Manager: Samantha Watson

Production Manager: Michael Wade

Assistant Stage Manager: Danny Maly

Atlantic Theater Company

336 West 20th Street

Tickets: 866-811-4111 or www.Atlantictheater.org
Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes, one intermission

Closed: April 5, 2015