Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – James Fritz’s slight ROSS & RACHEL raises unsettling questions at 59E59

• By drediman
• May 29, 2016
• No Comments

Last night at 59E59 Theaters, I caught James Fritz’s Ross & Rachel, one of the offerings at this year’s Brits Off-Broadway Festival. The solo show, featuring a committed central performance from Molly Vevers, chronicles the off again, on again decades-spanning relationship of Ross and Rachel, inspired by and loosely based on the characters from the popular 1990s sitcom Friends. 

Unfortunately, with a running time of under an hour, Mr. Fitz’s play is slight and slightly unsatisfying. That being said, it’s artfully directed by Thomas Martin, and raises fascinating questions. Indeed, the play unsettlingly and pessimistically suggests that the notion of a committed long-term relationship is simply a social construct. However, the play starts to veer towards the melodramatic when a terminal illness is introduced in the plot. Thankfully, Ms. Vevers’ skillful performance does well to navigate both characters’ perspectives with deep feeling.

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ROSS & RACHEL
Off-Broadway, Play
59E59 Theaters
55 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 5