THE HANGOVER REPORT – Lauren Gunderson’s I AND YOU is overwrought and overwritten

I-and-YouIt’s tough writing a review for a play like Lauren Gunderson’s earnest new two-hander I and You, which opened last night at 59E59 Theaters. There’s a blueprint for a truly intriguing play here; unfortunately, Ms. Gunderson’s overwrought and overwritten play (which strikes me as a piece that’s better read than performed) fails to give convincing theatrical life to her conceit. The plot is simple – lonely sick teenager (Caroline) is challenged and changed for the better by engaging in and opening up to a new friend (Anthony) – and Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Although the play starts in the same mold as the excellent indie flick Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, it ends up somewhere in the territory between The Sixth Sense and Katori Hall’s Olivier-winning The Mountaintop.

As written, unfortunately, neither character nor their relationship with each other is believable. Individually, Caroline and Anthony seem more like conduits for ideas rather than real human beings. In addition, their tempestuous relationship takes more dramatic turns in 80 minute than what I thought conceivably possible. As a result, Ms. Gunderson’s spar-fueled play feels much longer than the production’s meager running time. And although the ending is conceptually arresting, it was difficult for me to emotionally buy-in given all that had come before. Indeed, it’s unfortunate that the most interesting passages in the play are the ones provided by Walt Whitman himself.

As Caroline and Anthony, Kayla Ferguson and Reggie D. White valiantly try to wield Ms. Gunderson’s play but ultimately fall back way too much on histrionics as opposed to injecting some much needed delicacy into the piece. However, you probably won’t see a better physical production of this play (directed by Sean Daniels) than the one it’s currently receiving, particularly with respect to Michael Carnahan’s richly detailed and quite ingenious set design.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

 

I AND YOU
Off-Broadway, Play
59E59 Theaters
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 28

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply