Dan Cody's Yacht

B+

The title of this stimulating new play by Anthony Giardina (The City of Conversation) now at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Stage I is a symbol of opportunity waiting to be seized lifted from The Great Gatsby. Kevin O’Neill (Rick Holmes; Junk, Lives of the Saints) is a financial manager in a wealthy Massachusetts suburb. Cara Russo (Kristen Bush; The City of Conversation, Kin) is his slacker son Conor’s (John Kroft) English teacher, who lives in the blue-collar town across the river. When we meet them, Kevin is trying to bribe Cara to raise the grade on his son’s essay. He also wants her to vote against a proposal to merge the two school districts. He berates her for not doing all she can to improve the prospects of her bright plus-size daughter Angela (Casey Whyland; Billy Elliot) and invites her to his monthly investment club where she meets his friends Geoff (Jordan Lage; Race, The Penitent) and Pamela Hossmer (Meredith Forlenza; 1984, The Winslow Boy) and Alice Tuan (Laura Kai Chen; Much Ado about Nothing). He persuades her that by investing her savings with him, she will be able to afford moving across the river so Angela can attend the better school and improve her chances of getting into a private college. Cara’s blue-collar friend Cathy (Roxanna Hope Radja; Frost/Nixon) whose daughter is friends with Angela cautions Cara not to make the move. Later, when Cara’s investment account takes a dip, a crisis arises. Kevin proposes a shady solution. Something that Kevin and Cara have in common is that they are both single parents. The play raises interesting questions about what a parent should be willing to do for a child’s sake. One puzzle is what Kevin’s motivation is in wanting to help Cara and her daughter. They have a strong chemistry which, since Kevin is gay, is not built on sex. Kevin’s character is a complex mix of the noble and ignoble. The actors are uniformly strong. Giardina has written a series of good scenes for two characters: Kevin and Cara, Kevin and Conor, Kevin and Angela, Cara and Angela, Cara and Cathy, Angela and Conor. He raises issues of income inequality, privilege, ambition, ethics and willingness to take risks. The play loses some of its energy toward the end as the playwright paints himself into a corner. For most of its length though, it is both engrossing and entertaining. John Lee Beatty’s (Doubt, Proof) scenic design makes effective use of a revolving set. The costumes by Catherine Zuber (My Fair Lady, Junk) befit their characters. Doug Hughes’ (Junk, The Father) direction is smoothly unobtrusive. Running time: two hours five minutes including intermission.

Torch Song

A-

I was worried about seeing Second Stage’s revival of Harvey Fierstein’s award winning play for a  couple of reasons. First, I was afraid that a script that seemed so fresh and daring in 1982 might seem merely tired and dated today. Secondly, I feared that Fierstein's indelible performance in the original might prevent me from appreciating Michael Urie. Fortunately I needn’t have worried on either count. I had forgotten how ahead of his time Fierstein was in his treatment of long-term gay relationships and gay adoption and how forcefully he dealt with the importance of living an authentic life. As to Urie (Buyer and Cellar; The Government Inspector), he has made Arnold Beckoff, the Jewish drag queen from Brooklyn,  his own. It’s a different Arnold from Fierstein’s, but an equally valid one. He knows how to get the laughs without straining for them. It helps that he is supported by an excellent cast: Ward Horton as Ed, the bisexual teacher Arnold has an off-and-on affair with; Roxanna Hope Radja as Laurel, Ed’s long-suffering girlfriend; Michael Rosen (On the Town) as Alan, the young model Arnold takes up with after Ed; Jack DiFalco (Marvin’s Room) as David, the gay teenager Arnold is foster parenting; and Mercedes Ruehl (Lost in Yonkers, Other People’s Money) as Arnold’s mother [a role originated by Estelle Getty]. The first act, “International Stud,” set in 1971, is named after a Village gay bar with a notorious backroom where a key scene takes place. The second act “Fugue in a Nursery,” set three years later, is formally clever but lacks emotional punch. The final act “Widows and Children First,” set in 1980, is the longest and most dramatic. In my opinion, it could use a bit of a trim. The direction by Moises Kaufman has many grace notes throughout. The scenic design by David Zinn captures the period, as do the costumes by Clint Ramos. I was happy to find the play alive and kicking and still able to provide an entertaining evening. Running time: two hours 45 mintues including intermission.