NY Review: 'Tiny Dynamite'

British scribe Abi Morgan, best known on these shores for her screenplay for "The Iron Lady," explores the risks associated with living—from falling in love to freak natural (and not so natural) occurrences—in "Tiny Dynamite," an abstract three-character play that's getting its New York premiere in a poorly calibrated production from Origin Theatre Company at 59E59 Theaters. You might very well find yourself intrigued by—and even wanting to care for—the wounded, enigmatic souls in Morgan's script. But director Matt Torney's misguided decision to have the actors play these very British people using American accents not only undermines the piece; it also creates a wall that deflects any empathetic leanings as this densely packed, elliptical play unfolds.

Initially, the performers' accents don't seem unusual as we meet Lucien (Christian Conn), a corporate risk analyst, who every summer takes his childhood pal, the quirky, mentally unstable Anthony (Blake DeLong), on a vacation to the country. But as the show progresses, there's something preciously stilted about it. It's not until you hear the characters use words like "holiday" and "mate" (as in pal) that you realize that it's not Morgan's staccato dialogue and structure that are off-putting; it's the fact that her language is being offered up in a way that's antithetical to its natural rhythm.

As the script shifts from scene to scene between Anthony and Lucien—along with Madeleine (Olivia Horton), the young woman whom they meet while on vacation who forces them to confront a tragedy they shared when they were younger—it all begins to feel increasingly foreign. This is only enhanced by the interludes in which the characters relate stories from newspapers outlining the bizarre circumstances that have led to other people's deaths (for instance, sandwiches tossed from the top of the Empire State Building).

A sense of frustration is only made more acute by the actors' fiercely committed, finely etched performances, notably that of DeLong, whose Anthony has a wildness that is both endearingly childlike and frighteningly feral. His work makes it easy to understand why Conn's reserved Lucien has stuck by his friend for so long, even if one never quite gets why Lucien only pulls Anthony from the squalor of his normal life (generally lived on the streets) once a year.

As the woman who comes between and also unites the two, Horton delivers a performance that is both earthy—making it easy to understand why Anthony gravitates toward her—and terrifically ethereal. In fact, it starts to seem possible that Madeleine might be a specter.

The show also boasts top-notch design from Maruti Evans, whose set and lighting create a simultaneous sense of place and otherworldliness, and Will Pickens, whose excellent soundscape literally and figuratively crackles. Given all of these considerable assets, it's even more disappointing to report that "Tiny Dynamite" is something of a fizzling dud.

Presented by Origin Theatre Company at 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St., NYC. June 13–July 1. Tue.–Thu. 7:30 p.m.; Fri., 8:30 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 and 8:30 p.m.; Sun., 3:30 p.m. (No performance Sat., June 16, 2:30 p.m.) (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com. Casting Associate: Jack Doulin.