Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – A quartet of fascinating new Off-Broadway plays prove that American playwriting is alive and well

• By drediman
• October 27, 2016
• No Comments

The fall theater season is now in full gear, and I’m happy report that so far I’ve come across a fascinating sampling of new plays, proving to me that American playwriting is alive and well – just not on the Great White Way. These days, one must look beyond the bright lights of Broadway to get a sense of the state of the art. Even if the following quartet of plays that I’ll be discussing here aren’t all perfect, they each in the least exhibit an exhilarating sense of the seemingly limitless possibilities of playwriting and theater-making.

The cast of “Miles for Mary” at The Bushwick Starr

Devised by The Mad Ones (in collaboration with Amy Staats and Stacey Yen) is Miles for Mary (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which is currently running at The Bushwick Starr. The ensemble piece depicts a series of frustrating and interminable meetings conducted by a high school planning committee. We’ve all been to these futile gatherings (petty conflicts brew, personalities clash, nothing gets accomplished), and this carefully observed piece of theater meticulously mines every nuance from such experiences – gleefully, but with a steady, convincing naturalism. The production is sharply directed by the talented Lila Neugebauer (I’ve sung her high praises in the past) and acted with astonishing specificity and gusto by its cast of six.

David Hyde Pierce in “A Life” at Playwrights Horizons

A Life (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) is the amorphous title of Adam Bock’s latest play, and it’s currently being staged at Playwrights Horizons. Mr. Bock’s play is a purposefully confounding work with little apparent internal logic. I suspect that this dramatically adventurous decision was made in order to have the play itself mirror life as it really is – random, momentary, and may times disappointing. And what better director to bring these qualities to the fore than one of the preeminent auteurs of the Off-Broadway scene, Anne Kauffman, which she accomplishes with a series of subtle unexpected flourishes. In the central role, David Hyde Pierce is deliciously dry and quietly heartbreaking all at once.

The cast of “Vietgone” at City Center

Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone (RECOMMENDED) for Manhattan Theatre Club is good old raucous, brash fun. The play tells the story of the playwright’s parents and their turbulent and often-tmes offbeat courtship in a Vietnamese refugee camp in Middle America. Although the play sometimes suffers from telegraphed writing and could be downsized to a single act, it’s nonetheless ultimately quite endearing. The production is infectiously directed by May Adrales with a strong graphic sensibility (like graphic novels, the play often jumps across time and space) and acted with giddy verve by a resourceful cast of five. Jennifer Ikeda as Tong (a stand-in for the playwright’s mom) is an especially feisty, incandescent stage presence.

Peter Mark Kendall and Gideon Glick in “The Harvest” at the Claire Tow Theatre

The Harvest (RECOMMENDED) marks Samuel D. Hunter’s quick return to the New York stage. His previous play, the pained The Healing, was just staged this summer at Theatre Row. This fall, we have his The Harvest, which is being produced by Lincoln Center Theater at their intimate Claire Tow space, and it’s just as pained as that previous work. It tells the story of a religious youth group’s imminent departure to the Middle East, where they aspire to be Christian missionaries. Suffice to say, motivations for going on this trip are mixed and dramatic sparks fly. Although I have some qualms about some of the unintentionally melodramatic stretches in the play, Mr. Hunter’s play has been given a meticulous production by director Davis McCallum, and it ultimately packs quite the punch. The acting is rather good, if forceful, all-around, with particular kudos to Gideon Glick and Peter Mark Kendall, who play young unrequited boyfriends, with an aching grace that breaks your heart.

MILES FOR MARY
Off-Broadway, Play
The Mad Ones at The Bushwick Starr
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 12

A LIFE
Off-Broadway, Play
Playwrights Horizons
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 27

VIETGONE
Off-Broadway, Play
Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through November 27

THE HARVEST
Off-Broadway, Play
LCT3 at the Claire Tow Theater
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 20