Transfers

B+

Through a scheduling fluke, we have two interesting plays about college admissions running at the same time — Admissions by Joshua Harmon at Lincoln Center Theater and now Transfers by Lucy Thurber in an MCC production at Lucille Lortel Theatre. Both are worth seeing. (Go to https://gothamplaygoer.blogspot.com/2018/03/admissions.html for my review of Admissions.) In Ms. Thurber’s play, we meet two students from a New York community college, one African-American, the other Hispanic, who are vying with six other applicants for a chance to attend an elite New England liberal arts institution. This university admits two worthy low-income transfer students annually as a rather grudging token gesture toward affirmative action. We also meet the three members of the selection committee, an African-American humanities professor, a women’s rugby coach and a recruiter for the scholarship program. Clarence Matthews (Ato Blankson-Wood; Iphigenia in Aulis, Lysistrata Jones) is gay, black and an avid reader. Cristofer Rodriguez (Juan Castano; A Parallelogram) is a great wrestler, rough-edged and unfiltered. It turns out that the two boys knew each other in the Bronx when they were younger, under fraught circumstances. David DeSantos (Glenn Davis; Wig Out!) not only has recruited them but attempts to prep them for their admissions interviews. The bookish Clarence’s interview with Professor Geoffrey Dean (Leon Addison Brown; The Trip to Bountiful; Master Harold and the Boys) seems to go very well. Cristofer’s interview with Coach Rosie McNulty (Samantha Soule; The Philanthropist, Barbecue) is both hilarious and moving. When the committee meets, the behavior of its three members does not always conform to our expectations. Interesting questions about readiness for college versus worthiness for college are raised. Ms. Thurber (The Hill Town Plays) knows how to create vivid characters and write lively dialogue. The scenes occasionally run on too long. The story of what happened back in the Bronx remains a bit murky. The ending seemed a bit contrived. Nevertheless, the play fully engaged my interest. The actors are all fine, especially Mr. Castano, whose Cristofer is one of the most memorable characters I have seen on a New York stage this season. The scenic design by Donyale Werle (The Legend of Georgia McBride, Peter and the Starcatcher) transforms smoothly to five different locations. The costumes by Jessica Ford (Stuffed, These Paper Bullets) are apt. Jackson Gay’s (Stuffed, These Paper Bullets) direction is seamless. This will be MCC’s final production at the Lortel before their move to the Far West 50’s. I will miss them, but am glad they are ending on a high note. Running time: one hour 45 minutes; no intermission.