Kings

B-

Playwright Sarah Burgess, who had her Public Theater debut with Dry Powder,  a dark comedy about a private equity firm, is back with a new play that gives us a look at the corrosive effect of money on American politics as seen from the viewpoint of two lobbyists, a new congresswoman and a veteran senator. The well-connected Lauren (Aya Cash; The Light Years, The Other Place) used to work for Texas Sen. John McDowell (Zach Grenier; Describe the Night, 33 Variations) and now lobbies him. Kate (Gillian Jacobs; “Community”), a less successful lobbyist whose client list consists mostly of minor medical associations, is Lauren’s frenemy. Rep. Sydney Millsap (Eisa Davis; Passing Strange, Preludes), an African-American Gold Star widow from Dallas who has surprisingly won her seat in a special election, hasn’t yet learned how the influence-peddling game works and doesn’t want to. On the positive side, the play captures the soul-sucking tedium of spending hours on the phone calling potential donors and hosting a seemingly endless round of fundraising events. The example of lobbying against a bill to eliminate carried interest is timely. The illustration of the depths to which unidentified deep-pocketed donors will go to get their way is ugly if not shocking. I was relieved that there is no specific mention of the current occupant of the White House. The portrayal of three strong women characters is appealing. On the negative side, characters often seem more like contrivances than flesh and blood people and the tone occasionally veers toward the pedantic. The political maneuvering onstage offers no surprises to anyone who follows the news regularly, but in today’s climate, it is almost comforting for its predictability and familiarity. The play is intelligent and reasonably entertaining, but seems a bit repetitive. The significance of the title eluded me. The actors are all strong. The decision to stage the play with the audience on two sides is problematic. The scenic design by Anna Louizos (In the Heights, School of Rock) features four bar stools and two tables that are reconfigured with annoying frequency and occasionally revolve. Paula Tazewell’s (Hamilton, The Color Purple) costumes suit their characters well. Thomas Kail (Hamilton, Dry Powder) directed. Warning: You may have a craving for fajitas afterwards. Running time: one hour 45 minutes; no intermission.

The Light Years

D+

Somewhere in the Playwrights Horizons program notes, it says that The Debate Society (Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, writers; Oliver Butler, developer and director) have been working on this piece for seven years. I wish the results of all their time and effort had produced a more satisfying result. This tale of thwarted aspirations loosely ties together two family stories linked to the Chicago world’s fairs of 1893 and 1933. One of the plots involves a real person, Steele MacKaye, a flamboyant actor, playwright, producer and inventor of such theater innovations as folding seats and fireproof curtains. In 1893 MacKaye (Rocco Sisto) had grandiose plans to build the Spectatorium, a 12,000-seat theater filled with the latest in theatrical technology, to house an epic panorama about Columbus. Master electrician Hillary (Erik Lochtefeld) and his loyal assistant Hong Sling (Brian Lee Huynh) are working on the “mooncart,” a large contraption with hundreds of light bulbs that will provide the celestial climax of the Spectatorium show. He even brings it home so he can work on it at night. Hillary’s lively, attractive wife Adeline (Aya Cash) displays a keen interest in her husband’s work. The Panic of 1893 leads MacKaye’s investors to abandon him and the Spectatorium is never completed. The second story introduces us to Lou (Ken Barnett), an unsuccessful jingle writer who hopes to find work at the 1933 fair. His wife Ruth (Aya Cash again) struggles to keep the family from starving by working long shifts at a pancake house at the fair. Their 11-year-old son Charlie (Graydon Peter Yosowitz) has his heart set on a stamp commemorating the Graf zeppelin. Out of desperation, Lou reluctantly seeks employment as a musician in a night club. The apartment Lou and family have rented is in the home formerly occupied by Hillary and Adeline. Their landlord is a mysterious figure who lives in the attic. In the play’s most implausible premise, the unfinished mooncart still sits in the living room. Things do not end happily for either family. The alternation of scenes between the two time periods is not really confusing, but produces a repeated loss of focus. Just as the aspirations of almost everyone in the play are not achieved, neither are the aspirations of the play’s creators. Despite the fine acting, impressive set design by Laura Jellinek, great period costumes by Michael Krass and an amazing lighting design by Russell H. Champa, the play fizzles rather than sizzles. I would have preferred a play about the fascinating life of Steele MacKaye. Running time: one hour 45 minutes; no intermission.

Seating alert: During a few short scenes, the actors are in the wide aisle between rows D and E. If your seat is in rows A through D, be prepared to twist around in your seat to see the action.