Travesties

A-

In his early plays, Tom Stoppard’s need to show the audience how clever he is was tempered by a playfulness that made this habit bearable and, in the present case, thoroughly enjoyable. I did not expect to be so delighted by this rollicking production imported by Roundabout Theatre from London’s Menier Chocolate Factory. A brilliant director, Patrick Marber (Closer), and a superb cast led by Tom Hollander (King Lear, Tartuffe) combine to make as strong a case for the play as I could imagine. Don’t be intimidated by the complexity of the setup. Stoppard has taken the fact that James Joyce (Peter McDonald; The Weir), Lenin (Dan Butler; Twentieth Century) and Dada founder Tristan Tzara (Seth Numrich; War Horse, Golden Boy), were all living in Zurich in 1917 and has imagined their interactions, as recalled in the addled memory of Henry Carr (Hollander), a minor British consular official, 50 years later. Did I mention that Stoppard presents the story as a riff on Oscar Wilde’s The Important of Being Earnest? You needn’t waste a moment reacquainting yourself with the principal characters. Just arrive early enough to read the two-page cheat sheet in your Playbill and you’ll be fine. We also meet Lenin’s wife Nadya (Opal Aladdin; Hedda Gabler), Carr’s sister Gwendolyn (Scarlett Strallen; A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), his enigmatic butler Bennett (Patrick Kerr; The Ritz) and the left-leaning librarian Cecily (Sara Topham; The Importance of Being Earnest). Amidst the hilarity, we get arguments on the proper role of the artist in society. There’s also a bit of song and dance. The inventiveness rarely flags. The actors are all wonderful. I expected Tom Hollander to be fine, but was surprised by the manic physical humor of Seth Numrich. Tim Hatley (Private Lives) designed the dark paneled set decorated with blank books and scattered pages, as well as the attractive period costumes. My one complaint is that it may be too much of a good thing. It’s hard to maintain the appropriate level of attention for so long. If you let your attention slip for even a moment, you are likely to miss some allusion or quip. I had a much better time than I expected to. Running time: two hours 40 minutes including intermission.

If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet *

The title of this new play by the award-winning young British playwright Nick Payne could easily be my answer to the question "Is there a unifying theme that holds this play together?" The consequences of neglecting family for career is central, but the parents are both so emotionally constipated that it is unclear whether they are withholding affection for their daughter or simply have none to give. Brian F. O'Byrne plays George, a self-absorbed academic out to save the world from global warming with a book on carbon footprints. Michelle Gomez plays his wife Fiona, an unpopular teacher at the school where their overweight teenaged daughter Anna, played by Annie Funke, is regularly bullied. Jake Gyllenhaal plays George's prodigal brother Terry, a free spirit just returned from a long trip he took to get over a love affair that ended badly, who forms a bond with Anna. O'Byrne and Funke are excellent. I am no judge of British dialects, but Gyllenhaal's often impenetrable accent had no traces of American. At least every third word of his dialog is the F word. Gomez's character is underwritten, so she doesn't have a lot to work with. In this Roundabout production, directed by Michael Longhurst, now in previews at the Laura Pels, the scenic design by Beowulf Boritt literally upstages the play. Before the play begins, a curtain of rain separates the stage from the audience and center stage is occupied by a pile of household furnishings. As the play progresses, the actors grab the furnishings they need for the next scene. At scene's end they toss them into the trough. Is this a metaphor for the wastefulness of our way of life? About 2/3 of the way through the play, an onstage bathtub overflows and the stage is inundated in 3 or 4 inches of water. The actors pay no heed as they slosh around in it for the play's final 30 minutes. Does this represent our heedlessness to the rising sea levels that global warming will bring or is it just a distraction to hide the play's thinness? Decide for yourself. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes without intermission.