BWW Reviews: Round House Delivers Strong American Premiere of NSFW

The Independent has called Lucy Kirkwood "Britain's brightest young stage writer." Her satirical play NSFW (Not Safe for Work), making its American premiere at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, provides clear evidence of her strengths. If this play is an example from which to draw, she does have a certain knack for delivering a hard-hitting play that is not only hilarious, but also offers up a strong dose of social commentary that's likely to resonate with her audiences - not only in Britain, but in geographical areas grappling with similar issues. Featuring direction by Meredith McDonough, the Round House production brings out the best of her provocative play.

In NSFW, Ms. Kirkwood considers the magazine industry and its objectification of women from two angles. At the same time, she also draws attention to the economic factors that would compel young people to work for a media outlet that might not be the most outstanding. The intertwined commentary about two contemporary social issues within a more or less tightly-written script shows some sophistication on her part as a writer and also allows for a powerful and resonating theatrical experience for the audience.

First we have Aidan (James Whalen). He runs a magazine aimed at men called Doghouse. It is known less for its articles than its photos of scantily-clad young women. His employees are an unlikely bunch at first glance, but not so unlikely once one considers the economic climate in 2012-ish London. Preppy dresser Charlotte (Laura C. Harris) is perhaps the most unlikely. She's a recent Oxford grad just happy to have paid work of any kind and ready to make the best of a not-so-ideal job if it means staying employed. Then there is nerdy Sam (Brandon McCoy). He's in a similar situation to Charlotte - well-educated and eager to get paid to work in his chosen field - but he is not so ready to cross the boundaries he's set for himself that separate his personal life from his professional one. Rupert (Danny Gavigan), on the other hand, is a trust fund brat without a financial care, and a bit of a rebel. Personality-wise, he's the one you'd expect at such a magazine, but there's more to him than meets the eye.

Conflict arises when Sam finds Carrie, the newest girl to feature in a photo spread. Carrie likes theme parks and the Twilight book series, but also - apparently - has no qualms about bearing her breasts for the world to see. A phone call from Carrie's father, Mr. Bradshaw (Todd Scofield), reveals that Carrie is not really who Aidan thinks she is and it puts the magazine (and Sam's job) in jeopardy. Aidan takes the situation with Mr. Bradshaw into his own hands and Charlotte gets a firsthand glimpse at how far a magazine owner will go to survive.

Fast forward nine months. Sam is on the hunt for a new job. He interviews with Electra. Electra, it turns out, may 'look' different than Doghouse, but similarities abound. At Round House, Tony Cisek's set design highlights the physical dichotomy between the two magazine offices quite well. Electra's office is a far cry from Doghouse's fun-loving, frat house-like atmosphere. Everything is sleek, minimal, and shiny. The magazine is also run by a woman (Miranda, played by Deborah Hazlett). However, although Miranda maintains that she (and her magazine) are different from Aidan/Doghouse, little by little, she makes it clear to Sam that she has little issue with rating what's wrong with any woman - from the supermodel to the average plain Jane - from a body image standpoint. Sam must decide how far he is willing to go - yet again - just to have a paying job.

With these two parallel situations, Lucy offers biting commentary about the media's obsession with sexuality (because it sells), and how the poor treatment of women in the media knows no boundaries. Even magazines that claim, at some level, to be positive reads for women may be no better than outlets that are most associated with objectifying women at first glance. Are we to support these outlets? Is desperation for a paying job reason enough to work for them? Those are some of the questions she ponders.

True, Kirkwood's script is decidedly imperfect. The scenes at Doghouse pack a lot in - both plot and commentary wise - and they fly by. She loses steam in the third segment, which focuses on Sam's interview at Electra. Certainly, Eric Shimelonis' sound design makes a long dressing scene involving Miranda somewhat tolerable (let's just say Queen's "Somebody to Love" is an apt choice) and it does well to establish her own insecurities which play into how she runs her magazine and the content it offers. However, this does not disguise the fact that the Electra segment is simply endless and lacks the structure of the Doghouse segment. It also sheds some light on the cracks in Kirkwood's writing, which remain mostly in the background for the first several scenes. It's clear with this segment that she wants to make a point that 'men aren't the only ones to blame' and while that's an important comment to make within the concept of the play, she does it by hammering the point home with a sledgehammer - particularly at the end. Sometimes less is more.

Lucky for Round House audiences, they can mostly overlook these flaws thanks to the incredibly strong acting ensemble and production elements, including the previously mentioned set and sound designs. There is not a weak link in the six member cast. All shine individually - Gavigan for his diverse displays of humor while donning a number of Frank Labovitz's costumes; Harris and Scofield for their ability to effectively show inner-conflict in the most subtle of ways; McCoy for his believability; and Hazlett and Whalen for playing characters with unbelievable levels of ambition and control without making them cartoonish . Yet, collectively they work together with a single focus of delivering Kirkwood's punchy story and offer up one of the best examples of solid ensemble acting that I have seen at Round House Theatre this season.

Kirwood's NSFW is a mostly strong way to end the season for Round House and I look forward to what next season offers.

Running Time: About 90 minutes with no intermission.

NSFW plays at Round House Theatre - 4545 East-West Highway in Bethesda, MD - through June 21, 2015. For tickets, call the box office at 240-644-1100 or purchase them online.

Photo: Sam (Brandon McCoy), Aidan (James Whalen), Charlotte (Laura C. Harris), and Rupert (Danny Gavigan) in Round House Theatre's current production of NSFW. By Danisha Crosby.