I hope Jan Maxwell lands a television series that drenches her in well-deserved money and fame—20 years from now. That means we'll have two more decades of the kind of marvelous performance she's giving in "Victory: Choices in Reaction," the Howard Barker play that PTP/NYC is currently producing at Atlantic Stage 2. Barker tests her mettle in this demanding play, but Maxwell, a multifaceted actor in the Judi Dench vein, proves equal to the challenge.
She takes on the role of Susan Bradshaw, widow of the man who sentenced Charles I to death. While Britain roils in the turbulence caused by the recent Restoration, Bradshaw abandons house, family, and class to trek cross-country to London, where she intends to collect her husband's remains. Along the way she lies, begs, thieves, and even gives birth to a child conceived during a rape. A kind of anti-Quixote in Barker's hellish 17th-century England, Bradshaw is a ferociously intelligent figure who sees through the lies and hypocrisies of those around her and functions, thanks to Maxwell, as the play's gravitational center.
"Victory" treats us to almost three hours of argument about value and power, as Bradshaw willingly gives up societal worth in order to achieve her goal while a cabal of bankers wrests control of the government from a weak Charles II. Those seeking a tidy structure and a pat ending are forewarned: Barker seeks to challenge our notions about the workings of the world, not reassure us. His savage characters, dense dialogue, and action-packed scenes are designed to rouse our perceptions so that we can see the world in a new way.
Maxwell isn't the only fine actor on view. David Barlow brings enough self-awareness to Charles II to make us appreciate, if not like, the monarch. Robert Emmet Lunney makes his cavalier equal parts lost soul and monster. And Michaela Lieberman demonstrates impressive versatility with her contrasting portraits of Devonshire, the king's mistress, and Bradshaw's daughter, Cropper.
Director Richard Romagnoli never allows the action to stagnate as he marshals his cast of 12 to flesh out more than 30 characters from every walk of life. Carlie Crawford and Jule Emerson bring home the parallels between the Restoration and now with their blend of period and contemporary costumes. Allison Rimmer does the same with her scene-change music, which includes songs by Nine Inch Nails and the Sex Pistols.
"Victory" is performed in rep with two other PTP/NYC productions, "Spatter Pattern" by Neal Bell and "Territories" by Steven Dykes. I can't comment on them, but I commend PTP/NYC for producing this difficult play and for enabling us to spend time with the astonishing Jan Maxwell.
Presented by PTP/NYC at Atlantic Stage 2, 330 W. 16th St., NYC. July 15–31. Schedule varies. (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com.