THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ambiguity reigns in PERP, Lyle Kessler’s indistinct new play

Craig Mums Grant and Ali Arkane in the Barrow Group's production of "Perp" by Lyle Kessler. Photo by Edward T. Morris.

Craig Mums Grant and Ali Arkane in the Barrow Group’s production of “Perp” by Lyle Kessler. Photo by Edward T. Morris.

Last night at TBG Mainstage Theatre, Lyle Kessler’s world premiere play Perp opened Off-Broadway courtesy of the Barrow Group. Mr. Kessler is perhaps best known for penning the 1983 play Orphans, which was famously performed by Chicago’s mighty Steppenwolf Theatre Company (in a production directed by Gary Sinise and starring the late John Mahoney, Kevin Anderson, and Terry Kinney), as well as on Broadway (headlined by Alec Baldwin and Tom Sturridge).

There’s a fascinating play somewhere in Mr. Kessler’s meandering new work, which follows the gentle Douglass – an idealistic, naive man – as he searches for justice, truth, and goodness in his quest to help track down a murderer on the loose. Ambiguity reigns in Perp. Indeed, the characters that Douglass encounters (e.g., menacing detectives, a genuinely good inmate, even the perpetrator himself) are rarely who you’d expect them to be, morally and psychologically speaking.

As it stands, the play and production still feel like they’re searching for the right identity. Although I applaud Mr. Kessler for exploring the flaws in the criminal justice system, his play unfortunately registers a bit too indistinct and schematic, at least in its current form. I hope he eventually cracks the code. Director Lee Brock’s admittedly well-acted production doesn’t help matters by staging the play without a compelling point of view or strong dramatic arc, both of which it needs.

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PERP
Off-Broadway, Play
The Barrow Group at TBG Mainstage Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through April11

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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