Switzerland

B-

In Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith’s (Honour) 2014 play about Patricia Highsmith, now in its New York premiere at 59E59 Theaters, she weaves lots of facts about the writer’s life into an entertaining scenario about the last year of her life. The author of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley, feeling insufficiently appreciated in the US, moved to Europe and spent her final years in seclusion in a small village in Switzerland. Notoriously racist, anti-Semitic, abrasive and contemptuous of the literary establishment, she was not an easy person to like. None of her relationships with either women or men lasted very long. Highsmith (Peggy J. Scott; Is He Dead?, The Lucky One)  lived alone with her kitten, pet snails and collection of antique firearms, knives, swords and, surprisingly, Broadway show tune recordings, in her Alpine retreat. Her seclusion is interrupted by the arrival of a young man representing himself as Edward Ridgeway (Daniel Petzold; Pushkin), a seemingly callow editorial assistant at her publishing house who has been sent to get her signature on a contract for a new Ripley novel. The last assistant they had tasked with that assignment ended up having a nervous breakdown. Edward is determined to do better and deflects her abuse long enough to persuade her not to kick him out. As the play progresses, he gains confidence and uses her insecurity about her literary legacy to his advantage. To say much more would be to spoil the fun. There is lots of snappy dialogue about writers and writing and the relationship between an author and the character he or she becomes famous for. The play does not quite build up tension appropriate to a thriller and its final twist is not completely successful, but on the whole it is an entertaining evening. Both actors shine, especially Petzold in the trickier role. James J. Fenton’s (Southern Comfort) set has some sleekly modern design elements that seem out of place. Charlotte Palmer-Lane’s (Bedlam’s Peter Pan) costumes very cleverly reflect the changes in Edward. Dan Foster’s (The Chocolate Show!) direction is uncluttered. If you are a fan of Highsmith's work, I expect you will enjoy yourself. Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission.

Small World

B+

This two-hander at 59E59 Theaters had a successful run at Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point two years ago. In it, playwright Frederick Stroppel presents three encounters between composer Igor Stravinsky and animator Walt Disney. The first, in 1939, actually took place when Disney invited Stravinsky to see a rough cut of the “Rite of Spring” section of “Fantasia.” Stravinsky is horrified at Disney’s turning his evocation of pagan Russia into a story about dinosaurs and volcanoes. Nor is he pleased that the film includes a shot of Stokowski, his enemy. The two men argue their respective views of the proper role of the artist in society. The playwright imagines that they meet again two years later. After the lukewarm reception to “Fantasia” Disney has lost his self-confidence and Stravinsky has gone Hollywood. He unsuccessfully pitches Disney the idea for a film, which turns out to be the germ of his opera “The Rake’s Progress.” The two meet for a final time in the afterworld, where their differences seem less important. The dialogue is witty and does not condescend to the audience.  The views of both men get their due. Stephen D’Ambrose (August: Osage County) is marvelous as Stravinsky and Mark Shanahan (The 39 Steps) makes a fine Disney. Patricia E. Doherty’s (Southern Comfort) period costumes are a delight and the set by James J. Fenton (Southern Comfort) is elegant. Joe Brancato’s (Daniel’s Husband) direction is fluid. My only quibble is about the length. At 75 minutes without intermission, it seems either too short or too long. Some of the ideas are merely mentioned rather than developed. On the other hand, it occasionally seems a bit stretched out, particularly in the middle scene. I think it would be even better as a one-hour play on a double-bill. As it happens, this is the second comedy of ideas I saw this week in which famous figures argue their philosophies in the afterworld. The contrast is striking. This play manages to avoid all the pitfalls that the other (The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord) falls into. Ends on October 7.

Southern Comfort ***

Kate Davis’s 2001 documentary of the same title is an extremely moving film about Robert Eads, a female-to-male transgender person dying, ironically, of ovarian cancer in rural Georgia, surrounded by his mostly transgender friends. Robert Dusold and Thomas Caruso have conceived the work for the stage, with music by Julianne Wick Davis and book and lyrics by Dan Collins. During his final year of life Eads (Annette O’Toole) finds true love with Lola Cola, (Jeff McCarthy) a tall transexual who has not yet committed to hormones or surgery. Jackson (Jeff Kuhn) is a younger F-to-M who has been friends with Robert for 10 years and regards him as his spiritual father. Sam (Donnie Cianciotto), another F-to-M transexual, and Melanie (Robin Skye), a biological woman, are a devoted couple who are also friends of Robert’s. Carly (Aneesh Sheth) is a sexy M-to-F transexual who is currently seeing Jackson. Four of the five musicians (David M. Lutken, Lizzie Hagstedt, Joel Waggoner and Elizabeth Ward Land) also sing and step into the action to play secondary characters such as Robert’s parents and Jackson’s father.  (David Morse, the pianist, does not.) Southern Comfort is the name of the annual transgender event in Atlanta that Robert and his friends regularly attend. While the book is mostlly faithful to the essentials of the film, it makes things a bit more schematic. As I am not a fan of country/bluegrass music, I did not really enjoy the score. To my ears, much of the music seemed monotonous and repetitive. The present Public Theater production features the same cast as the 2011 CAP 21 version except for Cianciotto and Sheth who are transgendered. The song list is almost identical too. The rustic set by James J. Fenton is dominated by a large tree filled with boxes of tchotchkes a la Joseph Cornell. Patricia Doherty’s costumes are spot-on. Thomas Caruso’s direction is seamless. The entire cast, especially O’Toole and McCarthy, are excellent. Although, for me, the music did not really enhance the story, it is still a moving and timely tale that I am glad will be seen by new audiences. I highly recommend renting the film too. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes including intermission.

Drop Dead Perfect **

Last year’s sold-out production of this camp melodrama by Erasmus Fenn (a pseudonym) was a Critic’s Pick by both the Times and Time Out. That information plus the prospect of seeing Everett Quinton of Ridiculous Theatrical Company fame again raised my expectations high for the current revival at Theatre at St. Clements. Too high, it turns out. While this overwrought tale of Idris Seabright (Quinton), a wealthy woman in the Florida Keys has its madcap moments, they are too few and far between.

While Quentin gets to wear a parade of knockout 50’s outfits, he doesn’t get enough opportunity to really show off his plummy acting chops. Jason Edward Cook is delightful as Idris’s ward Vivien who yearns to leave the Keys to find her way as an artist in Greenwich Village. (It wasn’t until I read my program afterwards that I realized Vivien was played by a man.) Timothy C. Goodwin is solid in the dual roles of narrator and Idris’s pill-pushing attorney who has his eye on Vivien. The sudden arrival from Cuba of the studly Ricardo (Jason Cruz) sets the overly complicated plot in motion. Ricardo is the son of Idris’s sister Lucy and Ricardo Sr. (Lucy and Ricky, get it?), who ditched Idris for her sister.

Cruz gets a non-frontal nude moment and a shirtless scene with ludicrously stuffed boxer shorts. The interior of a cozy Florida cottage of the 50’s is captured well in James J. Fenton’s attractive set. Charlotte Palmer-Lane’s period costumes are a hoot. William Neal’s sound design cleverly incorporates portentous clips from 50’s movies. Joe Brancato directed. It’s all very silly, but not quite silly enough. Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission.