The Sound Inside

B-

I was of two minds about seeing this Lincoln Center Theater import from Williamstown, now at Studio 54. One the one hand, I have long been a fan of Mary Louise Parker (How I Learned To Drive, Prelude to a Kiss, Proof, Heisenberg) and rarely pass up the opportunity to see her onstage. On the other hand, my previous experience with plays by Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter; The Hallway Trilogy; Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling) has not been positive; somehow our sensibilities do not align. This dark (literally and figuratively) two-hander charts the course of a fraught relationship between Bella, a 50-ish, rather solitary writing professor at Yale, recently diagnosed with advanced cancer, and Christopher (Will Hochman; Dead Poets Society), a talented, rebellious freshman working on his first novel. Their initially contentious office-hour meetings develop into something more congenial as Bella encourages him with his nascent novel. Eventually, each asks the other for an important favor. I suspect that any guesses you have about how things will turn out will be wrong. In addition to the articulate dialogue, there are long passages of well-wrought narration, mostly by Bella. Director David Cromer (The Band’s Visit, Tribes, Our Town) clearly has an affinity for this material. The minimalist set design by Alexander Woodward, with locations emerging from the murk as needed, is quite effective, thanks in part to sensitive lighting by Heather Gilbert. While there was much about the production to admire, especially the fine acting, I ultimately found it a bit contrived and manipulative. The many literary allusions will be catnip to those who catch them. The gloomy subject matter may be a trigger for those who have had recent family tragedy. Running time: one hour 40 minutes; no intermission.