Oswald

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Oswald

at the Richmond Shepard Theatre

Reviewed by A.J. Mell

June 05, 2011

Photo by Josh Noble

Like the courtroom and the boxing ring, the interrogation room is a naturally, irresistibly dramatic arena: a tightly circumscribed space with two opponents in a high-stakes contest desperately trying to outmaneuver each other. In Dennis Richard's "Oswald," the showdown is between Lee Harvey Oswald (Tim Intravia) and the Dallas police's chief of homicide, Captain William J. Fritz (Jonathan Miles), in those tense, surreal few days after President Kennedy's assassination. Incredibly, there were no tape recordings or stenographic records of the interrogation, only Fritz's handwritten notes, which Richard fashions into a believable, absorbing battle of wills.

I have my doubts as to whether the real Fritz was as fair and high-minded as he's portrayed here, considering that he was a Dallas police captain dealing with an avowed Marxist-Leninist who was accused of killing a police officer, in addition to assassinating the president. Still, Miles' burly, ruddy-faced decency almost makes me believe. Inevitably, though, the success of the play hinges on the actor playing Oswald, and I'm happy to report that Intravia pulls it off splendidly. Although more charismatic than the real Oswald, he convincingly captures his intensity and articulate surliness, as well as his beady-eyed, strangely ratlike demeanor.

A compelling historical re-creation, to be sure, but is it art? Not exactly, but it doesn't really need to be. Director Richmond Shepard stays true to the script's no-frills approach and pulls it off in a straightforward, just-the-facts manner that would make Sgt. Joe Friday proud. Docudrama is a rare genre for the live theater to take on, and anyone hoping for an imaginative or stylized take on the events in Dallas would be better off looking elsewhere. In "Oswald," what you see is what you get. But considering how many weird fantasias have been spun around the figure of Lee Harvey Oswald, that's probably for the best.

Presented by Richmond Shepard and John P. Greene at the Richmond Shepard Theatre, 309 E. 26th St., NYC. June 3–18. Wed.–Sat., 8 p.m. (Additional performance Sun., June 12, 3 p.m.) 212-684-2690 or www.oswaldtheplay.com.