Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Max Posner’s THE TREASURER is brilliant, insidious theater

• By drediman
• October 1, 2017
• No Comments

Peter Friedman and Deanna Dunagan in Max Posner’s “The Treasurer” at Playwrights Horizons

One of the very best new plays likely to open in New York this fall is The Treasurer, playwright Max Posner’s insidious, guilt-ridden homage to the memory play – particularly Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie and Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus – and Sartre-esque existentialism. I had previously seen Mr. Posner’s ambitious if imperfect Judy a few seasons ago and thought he showed great potential. With The Treasurer, he has elevated himself to the realm of other “it” playwrights, such as Lucas Hnath, Ayad Akhtar, and Stephen Karam. Mr. Posner’s play tells the story of a middle-aged man’s complex relationship with his difficult aging mother. Doesn’t sound very distinctive? Well, the playwright’s ability in the play to seamlessly combine sharp realism with inwardly spiraling flights of fancy, and his willingness to dissect categorical emotions into something deeper and mystical (almost religious), is fascinating to behold.

The production currently running at Playwrights Horizons is exquisite. David Cromer has proven over the years that he is one of our most insightful directors, finding intense theatricality in the most unlikely places – and basks there. His revelatory Off-Broadway production of Our Town and this fall’s Broadway-bound The Band’s Visit remain some of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in the theater over the last decade. In The Treasurer, he creates a heightened, increasingly menacing world that expertly sustains mood and tension through the course of the play’s slow-burning 90 minutes.The production is also exquisitely designed, particularly Laura Jellinek’s deceptively plain set design and Bradley King’s daring lighting design.

The peerless cast is led by quietly harrowing performances from Peter Friedman and Deanna Dunagan. As the Salieri-like son, Peter Friedman is surely giving one of the performances of the fall, if not the season. He is giving a sympathetic everyman performance that’s also deeply unsettling; we see ourselves in this man, and what we see is often times not very nice. As the mother, Deanna Dunagan – a deserving Tony-winner for her unflinching performance as Violet Weston in the original production of Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County – is perfectly cast. The role asks her to take a heartbreaking journey, and Ms. Dunagan completely throws herself into it. It’s a great treat to see this wonderful Chicago-based grace the boards of the New York theater scene  once again.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE TREASURER
Off-Broadway, Play
Playwrights Horizons
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 5