February, Halftime

One enters "The Object Lesson" at NYTW into what seems to be someone's attic or garage full to bursting with boxes of a lifetime of junk and are expected to wander around for the first 15-20 minutes of the play "exploring" what is in the boxes.  At a certain point audience members are guided to sit among the boxes and the actor/creator Geoff Sobelle appears dragging somewhat larger boxes which he proceeds to unbox to find a chair, a table, a lamp and various other set pieces. He settles into his comfortable chair and opens with a one-sided telephone conversation which is played back to us at a later point when we get to hear the other side. Too clever by half! This might be fine except that he repeats the exercise later in the play. He tells stories of important times in his life triggered by objects that he finds in various boxes and at times chooses audience members to participate, much to their discomfort. He is primarily a mime(ugh) and the play ends with him opening a box that contains his life. He pulls object after object out of the "bottomless" box for about 20 minutes but it feels like several lifetimes. The play is ostensibly directed by David Neumann but it's not evident that he had much of a hand in the production which involves a lot of self-indulgent navel gazing. The whole thing is like a bad acting exercise.

Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins has redeemed himself in my book with "Everybody" at The Signature Theatre.  Jacobs-Jenkins last play, at LTC, "War" was unwatchable and before that "Gloria" at the Vineyard theatre was just bland.  Both plays followed on the heels of "An Octoroon" at Soho Rep where he played with theatrical form and race to brilliant effect.  Perhaps his talent lies in his mastery of being able to rework old texts.   "Everyman" is a morality tale from the Middle Ages, dull even in its time, I expect, and a tick off the list of important plays to study for a student of theatre history.  A sinner (read "everyman") is going to hell but he is given the opportunity to bring someone along with him if he can find anyone willing to do so.   It's no surprise that he exits the world alone but "Everybody" brings the action into the present day with a cast that swaps out the title role on a nightly basis.  It's hard to single out particular actors because they are almost all Everybody in the program but MaryLouise Burke is stellar as the befuddled Devil. And once again Lila Neugebauer ("The Wolves") proves invaluable as a director.

As directed by Mark Dornfor-May, the South Africa Isango Ensemble and the Young Vic bring vitality to A Man of Good Hope at BAM, a true story of one man's journey across the continent of Africa, from Somalia to Ethiopia to South Africa. There is much heartbreak along the way but there is music and dancing and even joy.  There are even similarities to "Everybody," a young man looking for companionship along the road to his fate which in this case is his rosy dream of what his life as an immigrant will be like in the United States.  The story as too linear for my taste but overall a job well done.

"Bull in a China Shop" at the Claire Tow Theatre at Lincoln Center is a yawn.  The playwright Bryna Turner brings nothing new to the table in this pedestrian tale of President Woolley of Mount Holoyoke (the "Bull") and her lover and fellow academician, Marks, at the turn of the century, a revolutionary time for women's rights in this country.  The director Lee Sunday Evans brought some punch to the recent [Porto] at The Bushwick Starr but this new play seems very tired.  There is nothing interesting or fresh about the storytelling nor the story of same sex love in academia.  If you want to see a similar story but one that really holds up over time, check out Lillian Hellman's "The Children's Hour."

And, lastly, Marin Ireland brings life to "On The Exhale" an hour-long monologue by Martin Zimmerman at The Roundabout from an academic who is obsessed with the recent gun massacres on school campuses and her personal safety.  When her 7-year-old son is instead the victim of such an incident, she becomes equally obsessed with the gun that killed him.  The writing is nothing special but Marin Ireland, directed by Leigh Silverman, gives a nuanced and terrifying performance.