Socrates

C+

Playwright Tim Blake Nelson (The Grey Zone, Eye of God) is to be admired for attempting to present the Big Three of Greek philosophy as living, breathing, contentious human beings rather than ideas on a page. In a framing device, we first encounter Plato (Teagle F. Bougere; The Crucible; Is God Is) and a boy (Niall Cunningham; TV: “Life in Pieces”), clearly Aristotle, who have just met and are considering whether to begin an ongoing teacher/student relationship. To answer the young man’s question of why he should want to study in the city that killed Socrates, Plato gives an account of the circumstances that led to that outcome. That account, which enlists a cast of fifteen men and one woman, forms the remainder of the play. Nelson cleverly incorporates portions of the Dialogues into the script and uses Socratic method to illustrate how Socrates’s relentless questioning could be as annoying as it was instructive. The play’s strongest suit is Michael Stuhlbarg (The Pillowman, Voysey Inheritance) in the title role; the opportunity to see him in action is reason enough to attend. He is supported by a fine cast that includes David Aaron Baker (Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them) as Anytus, Robert Joy (Girl from the North Country, Side Show) as Crito as well as Meletus the Elder, and Austin Smith (How To Transcend a Happy Marriage) as Alcibiades and Simmius. Director Doug Hughes (Junk, The City of Conversation) skillfully manages the large ensemble. While several scenes are quite effective, others are repetitious and run on too long. I could have done with less shouting too. Xanthippe’s (Miriam A. Hyman; Richard III) extended monologue before her husband’s death is powerful. The death scene itself is excruciatingly lengthy; clearly Nelson does not subscribe to the idea that less is more. The somber set design by Scott Pask (The Book of Mormon, The Band’s Visit) fills the walls of the stage and the auditorium with inscriptions in Greek. The onstage inscribed panels occasionally open to reveal another setting beneath. Catherine Zuber’s (My Fair Lady, The King and I) costumes accurately reflect the period. In my opinion, the first act is greatly in need of a trim. I found my mind wandering and checked my watch more than once. Except for the seemingly endless death scene, the second act was tighter. The occasional attempts to show the play’s relevance to our current situation seemed a bit clumsy. I was grateful for the opportunity to see a play with a serious theme starring a marvelous actor, but I thought it offered too much of a good thing. Running time: three hours including intermission.