Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

D

The amount of talent behind this new Broadway comedy is almost breathtaking. Playwright Taylor Mac (Hir) is a MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer finalist. The stars are multiple Tony winner Nathan Lane (Angels in America, The Producers) , Tony nominee Kristine Nielsen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) and Tony winner Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed). The director George C. Wolfe (Angels in America), set designer Santo Loquasto (Cafe Crown) and costume designer Ann Roth (The Nance) are all Tony winners. The original music is by Grammy and Emmy winner Danny Elfman and the movement consultant is Bill Irwin (Old Hats). With this array of talent, what could possibly go wrong? Just about everything, as it turns out. The script is a lumpy mixture of jokes about farts, bodily fluids and corpses, rhymed couplets, nods to sociopolitical significance and a ballet for oversized synchronized prosthetic penises. The title character is a former clown who aspires to be a fool. He and Janice (Nielsen) are charged with the Herculean task of cleaning the banquet hall piled high with corpses from the final scene of Titus Andronicus in time for the new emperor’s inauguration. (Some familiarity with Shakespeare’s tragedy is helpful but not really essential.) This involves pumping out the gas and bodily fluids from the corpses, a task played for laughs. The two cleaners are soon joined by Carol, the court nurse who emerges from the pile of corpses, erroneously thought to be dead. Carol is racked by guilt for not preventing the murder of the infant in her care. Gary and Janice philosophize about how the little people have to clean up after their leaders’ dirty deeds. Gary and Janice decide to put on a show, a production number that briefly enlivens the proceedings. The role of Gary does not show Lane to best advantage. The ever-watchable Nielsen is fine, but, surprisingly, it is White who steals the show. While I had heard reports that many people walked out of early previews, I did not see anyone leave. On the contrary, most of the people around me seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. At the risk of being branded a Philistine, I must confess that I have thus far been unable to acquire a taste for Taylor Mac. Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission.