BWW Reviews: The New Jewish Theatre's Compelling SIGHT UNSEEN

Art is something that can be entirely subjective. Everyone can have their own opinion, with different people viewing a particular work and coming away with distinctly unique perspectives on its merit, or lack thereof. That's part of what makes Sight Unseen, by playwright Donald Margulies so intriguing. We're presented with a modern artist whose pieces are often categorized as obscene or shocking, although we're only allowed to glimpse an early canvas, so it's up to us to envision in our mind's eye the kind of product he has been creating that has presented him with such fame and success. And, like all people who work in the cultural arts fields, a muse is often instrumental in providing inspiration. When that muse is gone, does the work continue, and does it change? These elements are all examined quite thoughtfully in this play, and with an excellent cast and expert direction they come together in truly compelling fashion in The New Jewish Theatre's current production.

Jonathan Waxman is a Jewish American artists who hails from Brooklyn. He achieves notoriety and success over the course of time, but it's evident that he's denied his own heritage in order to make a name for himself. While in college he met Patricia, a free spirit who posed nude for one of his class paintings. She became his girlfriend, but found herself suddenly cast aside when Jonathan's mother passed away. In the years that followed they remained apart, but come together once again when an exhibition of his painting brings him to London, Waxman has risen to prominence in the art world. But, at what price? His feet are put to the flames in a gallery interview by a German woman named Grete, and Patricia's husband Nick finds his paintings to be especially offensive. Can he reconcile the conflicted feelings he has, or will he simply ride the current wave he's on until it crashes into the shore and he becomes just another footnote in art history?

Aaron Orion Baker does an incredibly good job of portraying Jonathan. He's rarely allowed to relax and be personable or charming because the people he's around are constantly confronting him about his work and life. We sympathize with him, because even though his art has become commercially successful, he's torn by the fact that he may be on his way down, just because fame is so fleeting and hard to sustain for the path he's chosen to take. Emily Baker is very strong as his former flame, Patricia, who moved to London and married Nick when her student visa expired. Baker wears her emotions on her sleeve. And the hurt she still feels, due to her and Jonathan's messy breakup so many years before, is the elephant in the room when he stays overnight at her and Nick's home. She sparked his creativity when he needed it the most only to be rejected, and it's a pain that lingers in her heart.

David Wassilak delivers a great performance as Patricia's husband Nick. He has every reason to resent Jonathan's success, since he and his wife are struggling to make ends meet, while Jonathan has become a media sensation. Nick's comments about his canvases are terse and cutting, but completely honest. He doesn't see what all the fuss is about, but he also believes that art lost its way after the heights reached during the renaissance. Em Piro is also quite entertaining as Grete, who interviews Jonathan at the gallery that's presenting a retrospective of his endeavors. Piro's character is on the attack from the minute their conversation begins, and it's quite interesting to watch her and Baker spar over just what the artist is trying to convey.

Bobby Miller's direction brings the drama of the play to the fore, but also makes good use of some of the humor that Margulies includes. It's a taut and tight production that moves by quickly, and distinguished by a non-linear time-line, that forces you to continually reexamine your initial impressions. Miller has also chosen some choice tracks for the sound design. Dunsi Dai's scenic design and artistic contributions are simply sublime. Dai captures the locales with considerable elan, and he also makes the paintings he's created to represent Waxman's work seem organic to the piece. Maureen Berry's lighting fits the mood and keeps each location presented distinct. Michele Friedman Siler's costumes neatly delineate each of the characters, and Jenny Smith's props add just the right touches to bring this world to life.

Sight Unseen is heady stuff, and that's a very good thing. This is the last weekend for this fine production by The New Jewish Theatre (through March 29, 2015), so I advise you to get out and see it while you can. It's a genuine work of art itself.

Photo credit: Eric Woolsey

To post a comment, you must register and login.