By Harry Forbes
Mike Bartlett’s 2010 play, which had an acclaimed production
at the Royal Court in London in 2012, may, in essence, be a scathing indictment
of the baby boomer generation, but it also happens to be one of the most
amusing shows in town.
In three acts, the playwright – last represented on
Broadway earlier this year with the excellent “King Charles III” – wittily charts the
relationship of Kenneth (Richard Armitage) and Sandra (Amy Ryan) over the course
of 40 years.
When we first meet them in 1967, he’s an Oxford-bound
slacker who steals her away from his dullish brother (Alex Hurt) at
whose flat he’s been shamelessly crashing, while she’s a drugged-up free-spirit
who sets her cap on Kenneth as soon as they meet. In the second act, 23 years
later, they’re a bickering couple living an affluent upper middle-class life in
Reading, but utterly self-absorbed, barely taking the time to listen to their
teenage children, aspiring violinist Rose (Zoe Kazan) and emotionally troubled
Jamie (Ben Rosenfield). In the last act, Kenneth and Sandra are amicably
divorced, but the children are a mess, financially insecure and aimless. The
parents are oblivious to the roles they have played in shaping their offspring.
Performances are razor sharp, and the cast ages believably
over the time span. Ryan is particularly brilliant, delivering Sandra’s funny and thoughtlessly callous lines for maximum effect. Armitage captures
Kenneth’s narcissism and self-absorption to a tee. Their children are no less sharply characterized, Rosenfield embodying the unhappy layabout, and Kazan transforming
from vulnerable teen to embittered 37 year old who ultimately accuses her
parents of ruining them.
In fact, when finally Rose outlines her parents’ destructive
behavior, it was disconcerting to hear several audience members at my performance
continuing to laugh oblivious that the mood had suddenly changed, another sad indication
that many of today’s sitcom weaned audiences just can’t seem to make the leap
from funny to tragic.
Derek McLane has designed three wonderfully varied settings
which, along with Susan Hilferty’s costumes and David Lander’s lighting, tell
you in an instant all you need to know about these characters' lives.
Director Michael Mayer brings out the humor and underlying
pathos of Barlett’s clever script in a masterfully paced production.
Laura Pels Theatre at the The
Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, 111 W 46th Street;
212-719-1300 or roundabouttheatre.org)
Well observed, Harry. It's good to discover your blog (and that we still agree on so many things). I think the men were terrific, but the women own the play. (And the laughter during Rose's Act Three speech was also particularly grating to me.) Take care, Marcia
ReplyDeletePS: had dinner with Kent when I was in NYC; says you're a godsend.