Reviewed by Judd Hollander
A subtitle for The Whirligig, the new drama by Hamish
Linklater, could very well be "Six Degrees of Separation Lite".
Presented by The New Group and currently having its world premiere at the Pershing Square Signature Center
In a hospital in the Berkshires, a
23-year old woman named Julie (Grace Van Patten) is dying. Her body ravaged by
years of drug use coupled with an untreated medical condition. Having
reached the acceptance stage of her situation, Julie is far more able to face
her impending death than are her parents, Michael (Norbert Leo Butz) and
Kristina (Dolly Wells). One
of the most poignant moments in the play occurs when Julie explains to her mom
what it will be like for her when she's gone.
Julie’s suffering has caused
Kristina to return to the home and family she left seven years earlier. Her
marriage to Michael having broken up due to his excessive drinking and her own
battle with chronic depression. It having taken Kristina several years to find
the right medical “cocktail” to allow her to maintain a reasonable equilibrium.
Julie’s condition has also caused a
bit of a stir in this relatively closed-knit community. Particularly among Derrick (Jonny
Orsini), an ex-com and the brother of Patrick (Noah Bean), Julie’s doctor at
the hospital. Derrick taking an unexpectedly deep and perhaps not-quite healthy
interest in this woman. When Julie is sent home to die, Derrick takes to hiding
in a nearby tree in order to peer into her room. Derrick soon joined there by
Trish (Zosia Mamet), Julie's former best friend. Kristina having long since
deemed Trish persona non grata, due to a major falling out.
There are numerous ways for this
tale to unfold, particularly since Orsini adds some delightful comic touches to
his performance. Thus making his character a sort of voyeuristic sad sack.
Someone trying to get a glimpse into world where he does not belong. It also
helps that he has good chemistry with Van Patten in their scenes together.
While Linklater has nicely set the
stage by the end of the first act, including a powerful rant by Kristina about
never getting to be a grandmother, things start to go off the rails shortly
thereafter. With a good chunk of act two told in flashback, we see the
circumstances which set Julie on the path to destruction. As well as being
treated to glimpses of Michael and Kristina before they got their demons under
relative control. However, knowing how the characters will turn out in advance
takes away some of the emotional impact of the backstory. Even worse,
there are times when the interconnections among the characters, for example Derrick
and Patrick, stretch the credibility of the piece to its limits.
Linklater also commits the sin of
telling, not showing what is going on with the characters in several key
situations. Such as when it comes to Kristina and why she has previously been
absent from her daughter's life.
Presenting a world where second
chances are almost non-existent, The Whirligig offers a harsh lesson on
reaping what you have sewn. Where the only chance to make things better is to
put the past aside and move on. Something not always easy to do. A
point brought devastatingly home via some alcoholic-induced wisdom by Mr.
Cormeny (Jon Devries), an aging social studies teacher at the local high
school. He replying to Kristina's question of whether it would have actually
made a difference if she had been there for her daughter in the past.
Butz offers a strong blend of
comedy and self-loathing as an actor turned teacher with a drinking problem.
Wells is very good as someone trying to get her life back together, while still
on tether hooks over how it will turn out. Alex Hurt is interesting as Trish’s
husband, Greg. An unforgiving sort who sees things a certain way, he fails to
understand why others don't have the same uncompromising moral viewpoint he
does. He often being the straight man for the
other characters' more outlandish behavior. Bean’s character is sadly
underwritten throughout and only exists for plot purposes. Mamet resonates
well as Julie, with some cute and deliberately awkward scenes with Orsini. Devries
gets in some good lines as Cormeny.
Derek McLane’s sets, including a
hospital room, local bar and the tree outside Julie’s home, are all strongly
brought forth. Scott Elliott’s is
good, but it’s hampered by too
many explanations in the final scenes, which slow down the forward motion of
the show.
Perhaps one day Mr. Linklater will go
back and revisit this work. If so, it will certainly be interesting to see what
he does. Indeed, Greg and Trish’s story could be a play unto itself. But
for now, what’s on stage doesn’t come together when it counts the most.
Featuring: Noah Bean (Patrick),
Norbert Leo Butz (Michael), Jon Devries (Mr. Cormeny), Alex Hurt (Greg), Zosia
Mamet (Trish), Jonny Orsini (Derrick), Grace Van Patten (Julie), Dolly Wells
(Kristina).
The
Whirligig
by Hamish Linklater
Scene Design: Derek McLane
Costume Design: Clint Ramos
Lighting Design: Jeff Croiter
Sound Design: M.L. Dogg
Original Music: Duncan Sheik
Special Effects Design: Jeremy
Chernick
Fight Direction: UnkleDave's
Fight-House
Production Stage Manager: Valeria
A. Peterson
Casting: Judy Henderson: CSA
Public Relations: Bridget Klapinski
Advertising: AKA
Associate Artistic Director: Ian
Morgan
Development Director: Jamie Lehrer
General Manager: Kevin Condardo
Marketing Director: Cathy
Popowytsch
Directed by Scott Elliott
Presented by The New Group
The Pershing Square Signature Center
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
Running Time: 2 hours, 30
minutes, with one intermission
Closes: June 18, 2017
No comments:
Post a Comment