Hm... this is one production that I don’t think I’ll ever decide if I liked or not. I lean more towards like because I really loved the performances (mostly) but this play is - in every sense - a mess.
It’s a political comedy tragedy farce gender battle spectacle morality play clown show and if it hurts your eyes reading that, it won’t make you feel much better having it all shoved down your throat at once by Taylor Mac’s script. It’s one of those situations where there’s SO much flying at you at one time, whatever you latch onto is acceptable takeaway. Frankly, it’s all softballs, since the three wildly different perspectives masquerading as characters on stage, clashing against one another, are not... all that different? It’s strange to me to Mac would not have wanted more than three cisgendered white people talking to each other about the inequality and injustices of the world. As is, it just sounds like a bunch of ideas made to sound Revolutionary and get the audience clapping. But... we all agree already, I think? The artist should be valued. The service worker should be paid more. The rich should spend their money not on fancy things, but on caring for the less fortunate. War begets war. It should be called “The Liberal Agenda in One Act,” and I say that as an extremely Liberal person.
The good: Julie White is killing it, as always. Kristine Nielsen has such a gift of a role; there’s so much there. She does definitely need some more time, not necessarily to familiarize with the text but to find all the shadings that will make her role prime for accolades. Nathan Lane is being reliably exactly who he is, which is the highest praise you can give a singular talent of his kind. He’s a legend for a reason.
Now, I’m not the most familiar with Taylor Mac’s work, but from the sound of it, it’s got that scrappy, DIY feel that judy presents in all judy’s own pieces I’ve heard of. You get the feeling it is forever a rough draft that is also exactly as judy intended, for better or worse. It feels like a slow 90 minutes, long story short.
joined:5/2/13
joined:
5/2/13
Posted: 3/14/19 at 12:38pm