Becky Nurse of Salem

C

When a MacArthur Fellow playwright (Sarah Ruhl) and a Tony-winning director (Rebecca Taichman) return to Lincoln Center Theater, scene of two of their earlier successes (The Oldest Boy, How To Transcend a Marriage), with a new play starring Tony winner (Deirdre O’Connell), expectations are going to be high. I regret to report that at the preview I saw today Ruhl’s odd dark comedy not only did not meet my expectations, but did not even engage my interest. Becky Nurse, a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged as a witch in 1692, is a 62-year-old woman who works as a tour guide at Salem’s Museum of Witchcraft. She is someone who goes through life shooting herself in the foot. Her failure to stick to the script for the museum tour gets her fired by the museum’s uptight director Shelby (Tina Benko). Her teen-aged granddaughter Gail (Alicia Crowder) whom she has been raising, is currently hospitalized for depression. Gail’s mother died from an opioid overdose and grandma is secretly addicted too. Becky’s only friend seems to be noble barkeep Bob (Bernard White), who had been her high school boyfriend but married someone else. Becky disapproves of Gail’s new friend Stan (Julian Sanchez), a Wiccan who introduces Becky to a modern witch (Candy Buckley) for help solving her problems. Complications arise. Becky goes to jail and has visions of the original Salem trials. Thomas Jay Ryan doubles as jailer and judge. The game actors are committed to their roles. Riccardo Hernandez's minimalist set has rolling modules that efficiently set the scene. I could have done without the jail-cell toilet. Emily Rebholz's costumes are apt.The script mixes a look at Salem’s complicated relationship to its history, a response to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a nod to the mania of Trumpism, a superficial exploration of witchcraft and a cautionary tale about opioid addiction. The mix does not blend well. I was left wondering what the point was. On the plus side, it provides employment for a lot of talented people. Running time: two hours, five minutes including intermission.

The Patron Saint of Sea Monsters *

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The lifelike stuffed animals surrounding the set were the first sign of trouble. The inclusion on the list of characters of "Animals, both real and imagined" was the next. The opening scene of the play that revealed who the play was about was, for me, strike three. Readers of this blog will know by now that I am not drawn to plays about people who live in trailers. Call me a snob if you like, but that's just how it is. And so I knew I was in for a rough evening getting through Marlane Meyer's ambitious new work now in previews at Playwrights Horizons. Her script throws together obsessive love, faith, the veneration of saints, animism, broad satire, social commentary and fantasy. Will the love of a good woman (Laura Heisler) redeem a sinful man (Rob Campbell) or will he drag her down to his level? About 10% of the audience will never know, because they fled at intermission. Lucky them. On the plus side, the versatile cast does wonders playing multiple roles, especially Candy Buckley and Danny Wolohan. There are some entertaining moments along the way, but not enough to hold my interest. Rachel Hauck did the set and Paloma Young created the amusing costumes. Lisa Peterson directed. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes including intermission.