Handbagged

B

This diverting comedy by Moira Buffini (Gabriel) is the latest offering in 59e59 Theaters’ annual Brits Off Broadway season. Although the play indeed originated in London and won an Olivier Award, this production is actually an import from Roundhouse Theatre in Washington. The titular handbags belong to none other than Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth and the play is a fictionalized version of their prickly relationship. Each of them is represented by two characters, a younger version who experiences most of the events and an older version who comments on them. The Prime Minister is portrayed by T (Kate Fahy) and Mags (Susan Lynskey); the queen, by Q (Anita Carey) and Liz (Beth Hylton). Most of the time, all four are onstage. The cast also includes Actor 1 (Cody Leroy Wilson) and Actor 2 (John Lescaut), who play a variety of roles — husband, cabinet members, opposition politicians, Rupert Murdoch, and President and Mrs. Reagan, among others. Wilson is quite a sight in Nancy’s red suit. I thought that the play offered, in a flash, more insight into Murdoch’s influence on British life than the entire play Ink. The informative but playful script takes us through the Thatcher years, with emphasis on conversations between the two — or, in this case, four — figures. The queen is portrayed as a sympathetic figure who tries, mostly without success, to establish rapport with the rigid, dogmatic Thatcher. You might want to brush up your knowledge of that period, including the Falkland War, the coal strike, allowing the US to use UK bases in Libya, the poll tax and other arcane matters. It would have been helpful if there had been a few notes in the program. The playwright includes several metatheatrical devices such as frequently breaking the fourth wall and having Actors 1 and 2 argue over who gets which parts. For the most part, the playwright successfully blends entertainment and information. However, the play shows a few stretch marks from turning what was originally a one-act play into a longer work. The mostly American cast (only Fahy and Carey are British) is fine. Kate Fahy’s strong physical resemblance to Thatcher is uncanny. Mr. Wilson is a born scene stealer. Richard Kent has designed an elegantly simple set with black walls surrounding an all-white floor with a faint outline of the Union Jack on it, a pair of white chairs and a small table; his costumes are spot on. Indhu Rubasingham’s direction is assured. While I enjoyed the evening, I caution that those who did not live through the Thatcher Era or are not interested in it may be bored. Running time: two hours including intermission.

Secret Life of Humans

B

As part of its Brits Off Broadway series, 59E59 Theaters has imported this ambitious production by the collaborative New Diorama Theatre, a prizewinner at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. “Devised by” the company and written by artistic director David Byrne, the play finds dual inspiration from the book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Israeli historian Yuval Harari and the life and work of British mathematician and science historian Jacob Bronowski, best known for his 1973 BBC-TV series “The Ascent of Man.” While Bronowski saw human history as a straight line upward led by science, Harari posits a more twisted path that does not always lead upward. One of Harari’s points is that the move from hunter-gatherer to farmer made human life worse rather than better. The play combines real personages, Jacob Bronowski (Richard Delaney) and his wife Rita (Olivia Hirst), with invented ones — Ava (Stella Taylor), a university lecturer and Harari devotee; Jamie (Andrew Strafford-Baker), Bronowski’s nonexistent grandson; and George (Andy McLeod), a mild-mannered mathematician. The plot revolves around the secrets of a room in Bronowski’s house that he allowed no one to enter. This part of the story is true. In a clever framing device, the lecture by Ava that opens the play morphs into a humorous introduction of Jamie and on to an awkward Tinder date. When Ava finds out that Jamie is Bronowski’s grandson and is temporarily living in his house, she gladly goes home with him. Ava is eager to learn the room’s secrets and persuades Jamie to let her investigate. We also learn that Jacob’s widow regularly visited the forbidden room for her own reasons. What Jamie and Ava uncover is a dark period in Bronowski’s life during World War II. We discover what motivated him to do what he did and what effect this period had on his later life. Jamie wants to protect the reputation of his grandfather, but Ava wants to advance her career. The interplay between exposition of theory about the nature of humankind, biography and invented story is not always seamless. Ava is much more engaging when she is lecturing than when she is interacting with Jamie. Despite some qualms about the play’s unevenness, I admire its high ambition and the high level of the production. The actors are all excellent. The scenic design by Jen McGinley is a wonder of moving bookcases below a blank wall on which evocative projections by Zakk Hein are shown and on which people walk! It’s a complex work that requires close attention, which most people will find worth the effort. Byrne co-directed with Kate Stanley. Running time: one hour 25 minutes, no intermission.

We Live by the Sea

B-

The 2018 season of Brits Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters is off to a strong start with this powerful play about autism. “Devised by” the London theater company Patch of Blue, working with the National Autistic Society, the play tells the story of Katy (an amazing Alexandra Brain), a 15-year-old year on the spectrum, who lives with her sister Hannah (Alexandra Simonet) and her imaginary dog Paul Williams (Lizzie Grace) in a seaside English village. Their mother ran off when Katy was diagnosed and their father died a year ago, so Hannah has had to put her own life on hold to care for Katy. When Ryan (Tom Coliandris), an 18-year-old who has just moved to town from London after a tragedy, meets the sisters, the three draw strength from each other. The stories Katy likes to tell to provide order to her experience are cleverly recreated with such simple props as an electric fan and a pair of desk lamps. Two onstage musicians, Josh Flowers and Julianna Zachariou, enhance the production with music by The Mason Brothers. Alex Howarth, founder of Patch of Blue, directs with assurance. My heart went out to Hannah, because Katy’s erratic behavior with its frequent outbursts of raw emotion was hard to endure for 90 minutes, let alone 24 hours a day. My center aisle seat in the second row turned out to be too close for comfort when the actors sat down on the steps just inches away. Much as I admired the play, I often found it painful to sit through. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission.

Invincible

A-

As a fan of British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, I was disappointed that the current Brits Off Broadway season at 59e59 Theaters does not include one of his plays. Not to worry. Instead, we have this impressive play by Torben Betts, an Ayckbourn acolyte who learned his lessons well. In this comedy of manners with strong sociopolitical overtones, we meet two memorable couples. Oliver (Alastair Whatley) and Emily (Emily Bowker) have recently moved to northern England from London. They rationalize that their move is to provide a better life for their children, but the truth is that they can no longer afford London since Oliver has lost his civil service writing job in the latest government belt-tightening. Abstract painter Emily, whose idea of a coffee table book is Das Kapital, claims she wants to live among the “real people.” They rent, because she does not believe in private ownership of property and they are not married, because she thinks it is a decadent institution. She is, to put it mildly, high-strung and overprotective, for reasons we will find out later, of their sleeping toddler, checking the monitor constantly. The ineffectual Oliver generally yields to her wishes. They decide to invite their next-door neighbors, Alan (a perfectly cast Graeme Brookes) and Dawn (the marvelous Elizabeth Boag, seen in New York in Ayckbourn’s Hero’s Welcome and Arrivals and Departures) over for tea. Postman Alan is an ordinary bloke whose only sin is that he is boring. Voluptuous Dawn married too soon and now regrets it. The awkward encounter between the privileged hosts and their down-to-earth guests is a monumental clash of class and culture. One example: when Alan goes on about watching football on TV, Emily counters that devotion to sports teams and watching TV makes people stupid. The hilarious first act leads to darker moments in the second act. Dawn, worried over the safety of her son on duty in the Iraq war, observes that the sons of the upper classes never have to serve. Alan muses on the difficulty of scraping together a living. We gain insight on why Emily is so dour. Oliver finally asserts himself. There are crises. The characters are extremely vividly drawn and their problems resonate for us. The actors are all strong, especially Graeme Brookes, whose take on Alan is worth the price of admission. The set and, particularly, the costumes by Victoria Spearing, assisted by Minglu Wang, are assets to the production. Director Stephen Darcy is not afraid to give each scene time to breathe. It’s a play that provides both lots of laughs and lots to think about. Running time: two hours 20 minutes including intermission.

Rotterdam

B

Brits Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters is presenting Jon Brittain's Olivier-winning play about the effects of a transgender transition both on the person involved as well as on their relationships with others. Alice (Alice McCarthy) and Fiona (Anna Martine Freeman) are two English lesbians who have been living and working in Rotterdam for seven years. The dour, buttoned-up Alice is trying to summon the courage to come out to her parents via email, when Fiona announces that she henceforth wants to be known as Adrian. Josh (Ed Eales-White), Fiona/Adrian’s good-natured brother, who was Alice’s boyfriend before she met Fiona, is supportive of his sibling’s decision. Alice, however, has trouble figuring out what it all means, especially about her own gender identity. Lelani (Ellie Morris) is a free-spirited young Dutch colleague of Alice’s who takes a shine to her. As Fiona transitions to Adrian, tensions increase. Freeman is extremely moving in a second-act scene when Adrian is overwhelmed by events. My main problem with the play is that Alice is such an uptight sourpuss that it is hard to understand why anyone would want her. Also, there are plot developments near the end that seemed forced. At 2 1/2 hours, the play seemed a bit bloated. The clever, attractive set by Ellan Parry makes maximum use of a small stage; the costumes, especially for Lelani, are vivid. Donnacadh O’Brian directed. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including intermission.

Iphigenia in Splott

B

Every Spring, 59E59 Theaters bring us a series of imports from the UK under the rubric Brits off Broadway. This one-person play by Gary Owen originated in Cardiff and then had an acclaimed run in London. The main reason to see it is the electric performance by Sophie Melville as Effie, an angry young woman from Splott, a working-class neighborhood of Cardiff. Effie, whose means of support is unclear, alternates between binges and hangovers and describes herself as the kind of person you cross the street to avoid. I wish we learned more about what led to her self-defeating lifestyle. Effie stops spewing invective long enough to tell us the story of a recent affair with a wounded veteran that made her let down her guard long enough to hope for a better life. Of course it turned out badly. Effie pays a terrible price but acts nobly when she has an opportunity to seek redress. I was disappointed that the play morphed from a fascinating character study to a screed against social welfare cuts, even though, as a cautionary tale, it is certainly timely on this side of the pond as well. My other reservation is the difficulty I had making out some of the words because of the thick Welsh accent and rapid speech. Designer Hayley Grindle and lighting designer Rachel Mortimer have come up with a striking set that features a series of fluorescent lights that resemble a venetian blind aptly falling into disarray. Rachel O’Riordan’s direction is straightforward. The title’s comparison of Effie to Iphigenia is a bit of a stretch. Running time: 80 minutes; no intermission.

Blink ***

If you are in the mood for something a bit different, head to 59E59 for this latest entry in their Brits Off Broadway festival. This off-beat love story by Phil Porter has been skillfully crafted, creatively staged, and, most importantly, superbly performed by two fine actors. Sophie (Lizzy Watts) and Jonah (Thomas Pickles) are two socially awkward young people for whom London is a very lonely place. Sophie lives above Jonah as his landlord, but they have never met. Impulsively, she sends him the screen of a baby monitor she had used to look after her late father. He has no idea who sent it, but soon becomes addicted to watching the woman on the screen. When he accidentally finds out who she is, he begins following her everywhere and she pretends not to notice. For a good part of the play, the two address the audience rather than each other. They also play other characters, including a talkative human relations officer and a German conceptual artist, using microphones when they portray them. A good deal of the dialogue at first seems irrelevant, e.g. a detailed plot summary of the soap opera they both watch, but the haziness of the border between background and foreground is part of the off-kilter nature of the play. When an unexpected circumstance leads the two to actually meet, they must learn that a face-to-face relationship is much harder than one based on exhibitionism, voyeurism and stalking. The set design by Hannah Clark, combining generic office furniture with a sylvan backdrop and a grassy surface is both attractive and effective. Her choice of pale beige costumes with sky-blue socks for both actors is apt. Joe Murphy’s direction is admirable. A word of caution: the two friends I ran into afterwards did not share my enthusiasm. Running time: 77 minutes, no intermission.

Simon Green: So, This Then Is Life ***

As part of its Brits Off Broadway festival, British actor Simon Green and his musical director David Shrubsole are appearing in this cabaret-style theater piece, cleverly crafted from a melange of song, poem and spoken word. The eclectic material runs the gamut from Noel Coward to Stephen Sondheim, Walt Whitman to Maya Angelou,  M.F.K. Fisher to Tennessee Williams. The theme is the advice a middle-aged man would give his 21-year-old self were he able to. Green's engaging presentation overcomes a sometimes pinched voice and a wobbly pitch. All in all, it's a pleasant way to spend 80 minutes.

Cornelius **

This Finborough Theatre production of J.B. Priestley's virtually forgotten 1935 play now at 59E59 in their Brits Off Broadway series received uniformly glowing reviews in London and a rave from the New York Times. This story of a small aluminium importing firm struggling unsuccessfully to stay afloat during the Depression revolves around partner James Cornelius (Alan Cox), who puts on a brave face to keep up the morale of his staff and fend off the creditors until his partner Robert Murrison (Jamie Newall) returns from an extended business trip that is the firm's last hope for survival. Longtime bookkeeper Biddle (the excellent Col Farrell) is a man who loves his work and manages to maintain a positive view of life. Secretary Miss Porrin (Pandora Colin) is an embittered spinster with an unrequited love for Cornelius. Lawrence (David Ellis) is frustrated by his dead-end five-year stint as office boy. Judy Evison (the lovely Emily Barber), a feisty typist filling in temporarily for her sister, elicits Miss Porrin's hatred and strikes a long-dormant chord in Cornelius. Vendors with increasing degrees of desperation visit the office to peddle their wares. Murrison returns from his trip half-crazed and broken. When the play concentrates on how different people deal with adversity, it is on solid ground. Unfortunately, it too often resorts to workplace cliches and, near the end, a very unlikely coincidence. I did not find Cornelius, at least as played by Cox, a convincing character; his various traits did not cohere. It was a pleasure to see a fine ensemble of 12 sharing the stage, but the play ultimately lacked bite. David Woodhead's set and costumes are excellent. Sam Yates's direction is assured. To call Cornelius a forgotten masterpiece would be a gross exaggeration. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes, including intermission.

Bull *

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
The latest production in 59E59's Brits Off Broadway series is Mike Bartlett's companion piece to his clever play "Cock (a/k/a The Cockfight Play)." Like the earlier play, this one, subtitled "The Bullfight Play," takes place in an arena-like setting. The arena in "Cock" actually resembled a bullring more than this set, which looks more like a carpeted boxing ring with a water cooler in the corner. There's a low glass wall around the playing area for a portion of the audience to stand behind. The setup is simple: three employees are about to meet their boss Carter (Neil Stuke) to find out which one is going to be fired. The icy Isobel (Eleanor Matsuura) and the smooth, devious Tony (Adam James) take turns tormenting the milquetoast Thomas (Sam Troughton) until he can endure it no longer. Apparently "bull" is really short for "bullying" in this instance. Toward play's end, Isobel makes a case that victims of bullying deserves it, because it is a necessary Darwinian tool for culling the gene pool. The actors are all first-rate, but the proceedings are too nasty for my taste. I fear that Bartlett has lost his way, giving too much attention to set design gimmickry and too little attention to substantive playwriting. Claire Lizzimore's direction is assured. Running time: only 55 minutes, but that was more than enough.