Review: THE HEADLANDS at American Conservatory Theatre

The Headlands

Written by Christopher Chen

Directed by Pam McKinnon

American Conservatory Theatre

Not since I watched reruns of The Maltese Falcon and I Remember Mama, have I seen a piece so San Francisco centric as Christopher Chen's homage to noir in The Headlands, a well-written, superbly crafted whodunnit that also touches on repressed memory and family dysfunction. What was considered a cut and dry burglary/murder escalates into much more than anyone anticipates.

Breaking the fourth wall, Henry (Phil Wong) narrates this story while doubling as the main character. A tech geek and amateur sleuth, he, and his girlfriend Jess (Sam Jackson) have a hankering for cold case murders, this particular one, the death of his father in an apparent home burglary. Through flashbacks we see snippets of memories he has of his mother and father, vague and mysterious. As the play proceeds, these moments come into context as Henry' s obsession with solving the case consume him.

Wong delivers a heartfelt performance - a mix of geeky humor, earnest determination and emotional confusion over his past. As his parents, Johnny M. Wu (George) and both Keiko Shimosato Carreiro (older Leena) and Erin Mei-Ling Stuart (Leena) give compelling supporting roles. Charles Shaw Robinson adds some humor to the role of the original detective on the case, and Jomar Tagatec rounds out the cast in an emotionally raw, if brief, appearance. The romantic story arc of Jess and Henry seems an extraneous afterthought.

San Francisco is everywhere, brilliantly realized through Alexander V. Nichols sublime revolving set and projections that take us to the Marin Headlands, Chinatown tenement apartment buildings, North Beach and Land's End. Weng-Lin Liao's dramatic lighting enhances the noir feel the piece. The look is fantastic and Chen's clever time shifting between Henry's youth and present time, and the sharp dialogue makes The Headlands a sweet love-letter to San Francisco.

The Headlands continues through March 5th, 2023. Tickets available at 415-749-2228 or online at www.act-sf.org

Photo credit: Kevin Berne

To post a comment, you must register and login.