BWW Reviews: Acting Soars as Writing Falls in NEXT FALL

The reasoning behind staging a Tony Nominee for Best Play is quite easy to understand. Plays that have either been nominated for or won a Tony are easily marketable to the public. Still there is that occasional Tony nominated play that is a complete head scratcher, a play so poorly written it's baffling that it made it to Broadway in the first place, let alone snag a nomination for Best Play. Case in point: the poorly written and conceived Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts. While the Austin premiere of the play, currently staged by The Paradox Players, features some incredible performances, the incredible work of the cast still can't cover up the vast shortcomings of the text.

The plot of Next Fall involves Adam, an atheist, and his boyfriend Luke, a devout Christian. Though the couple never truly understands each other's beliefs, they somehow make it through five years together until Luke is involved in a car accident. As Adam, Luke's family, and friends wait in the hospital to find out if Luke will survive the accident, we see countless flashbacks to earlier days in the couple's relationship.

As Adam, Scot Friedman gives yet another fantastic performance. The journey of his character is interesting and intriguing to watch. Despite the character's neurotic tendencies and penchant for hurtful word vomit (telling Christians that you'd like to wipe your ass with the Bible is probably not the wisest statement), Friedman creates a character that somehow wins the audience over. Whether the scene is a comedic one or a tear-jerker, Friedman handles it with finesse and ease.

Evan Shaw is also a delight to watch as Luke. Though the role could amount to nothing more than a religious nutjob in a lesser actor's hands, Shaw is able to turn Luke into a loveable, wide-eyed idealist. Derek Jones has a similar conundrum with his role Butch, Luke's bigoted and homophobic father. Though at first you dislike the close-minded Butch, by the end you realize he's still human and still cares deeply for his son, and that's largely in part to Jones's authentic and honest performance. As Arlene, Luke's mother, Renee Stewart gives a thrilling performance. Granted, Stewart is great at playing a kooky Southern woman as she's shown with other shows around town, but here she gets to take that type of role and add a bit of complexity. Her Act II moment in which she has a moment of clarity and honesty with Adam is one of the best and most memorable moments of the evening. Rounding out the cast are Alexandra Russo as Holly, Adam's self-proclaimed "fag hag," and Jeremiah Rosenberger as Brandon, Luke's friend and fellow Christian gay. Though neither gets much to do, both turn in excellent performances. Russo is fun and feisty as Holly, and Rosenberger is captivating in an Act II scene which features one of the play's few moments of poignancy.

While the acting is top-notch, the direction and set design is less successful. The direction by Karen Jambon is a puzzling mixed bag. Some scenes, particularly those between Firedman and Shaw, are organic and other scenes are touching, but there are some pacing problems throughout. The second act drags with dramatic pause after dramatic pause, and the long scene breaks disrupt the flow and dramatic tension of the play. Bob Bethke's set is just as puzzling. Granted, the space in the Howson Hall Theater is limited, but Bethke's use of the space is a bit awkward, particularly the white line that splits the stage down the middle, dividing Adam and Luke's apartment to stage right and the hospital waiting room to stage left. The decor of Adam and Luke's apartment (which I assume should be attributed to propmaster Barbara Weeks) is also somewhat offensive and stereotypical. As an openly gay male, I can state that I don't have framed photos of Cher or Teletubbies action figures on my bookcase. Since scribe Nauffts mentions that his characters have a photograph of a naked ass hanging over their bed, I guess the decor simply continues the offensive stereotypes inherent in the script. Still, I wish the approach was more, "What would these two people have in their home" versus "What would two gay guys have in their home."'

But the shortcomings in the direction and design are nowhere near as numerous as the problems in Nauffts's script. It's shocking that Nauffts, an openly gay male and an advocate of the gay right's movement, would write a play that is littered with stereotypes. Luke's an actor/waiter who's not out to his parents, Luke and Adam screw after what we presume to be their first date, Holly refers to herself as a "fag hag," and Brandon is a self-loathing gay who doesn't believe in same sex relationships. The stereotypes continue with Luke's parents, a pill-popping mother (an issue which is bought up once and never mentioned again) and a bigoted father who when paired together are the groan-worthy stereotype of bickering divorcées.

The problems with the script continue with Nauffts's failure to create sympathetic leads. Though Friedman and Shaw's thoughtful performances elevate the characters and give them some semblance of humanity, on the page Adam is nothing more than a bitchy, complaining queen and Luke is a judgmental prick who tells everyone, even those he cares about, that they will go to hell. Nauffts also peppers his play with themes and dramatic devices that have all been seen before, like Adam and Luke's May/December romance, Adam's inability to visit Luke in the hospital, and their big fight right before a life-changing accident. Between the stereotypes and the unoriginal plot points and themes, Nauffts's script is void of creativity and vision and despite being written in 2010, it feels about as current as one of the play's references to chat rooms.

And still, Nauffts makes even more problematic choices. The major idea of the show, the conflict between Adam's atheistic views and Luke's Christianity, isn't introduced until the fourth scene in the play. By then, the audience has sat through about half an hour where very little of relevance has happened. Even then, once the idea is introduced, Nauffts doesn't do anything with it aside from several "I'm right. You're wrong" arguments between the leads. But the largest problem is the show's structure. It's unclear whether Nauffts intends for his play to be a comedy or a drama. The scenes alternate between the dramatic moments in the hospital and the comedic scenes of Adam and Luke's past, creating jarring changes in emotion that makes the play feel uneven and confusing. At times I felt as if I was at home, watching T.V., and flipped between reruns of "Will and Grace" and "E.R."

While the acting in Paradox Players's production of Next Fall is superb, the writing is incredibly weak and often offensive in its use of gay stereotypes. Perhaps next fall, Nauffts will write a play that paints the gay community in a more sympathetic light, but I'm not holding my breath.

NOTE: For mature audiences only. Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

NEXT FALL, produced by The Paradox Players, plays the Howson Hall Theater at the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 4700 Grover Avenue, Austin 78756 now thru June 30th. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $10-$15. For tickets and information, please visit www.paradoxplayers.org.

Pictured: Scot Friedman and Evan Shaw in NEXT FALL.