Photo Source: Rahav Segev
Ruby Rae Spiegel's "Carrie & Francine" kicks off the lineup with a bang, and as her troubled 13-year-olds gab about Cosmo and Orlando Bloom while cursing at each other, she sheds light on the sad pressures put on today's youth. This piece is a delight and a highlight because it feels like it offers a glimpse of the next generation of writers and actors. The raw portrayal of this side of life is rare on stage, and Spiegel's characters evoke sympathy for the rising generation and highlight the media's creation of a youth-obsessed, oversexed society. Actors Lydia Weintraub (Carrie) and Louise Sullivan (Francine), both only sophomores in high school, seem to know the world well, inhabiting their roles with honesty and fear. Plus, they really look like they're only 13, which makes the play all the more disturbing. "You're Giselle!" Carrie coos as she forces her friend to vomit in the toilet.
Christopher Durang does his dark comedy thing with "Triple Trouble With Love," three monologues about dating debacles that Durang also directs. As Annie-short-for-Anne, Aidan Sullivan steals the short show with her witty delivery of Durang's insightful lines about women in their 30s. (Did a man really write this?) As Anne goes on about her dating exploits with "hobbits" and "bloated" men, she reveals her deep insecurities with an unconvincing smile, slowly realizing that she can't live out the "Sex and the City" myth. Nick Choksi is weepy-eyed and sympathetic as one of her hobbit men, Gary, and while his argument for leaving the relationship may be stronger than hers, he still loves her even though she's not Heidi Klum. Beth Hoyt puts the dark comedy lid on the piece as Jackie, who details her weakness for drug-addict boyfriends and husbands while excusing their behavior with an airhead sensibility. The alternating spotlights and musical interludes keep these solitary pieces moving in a charming manner.
Alexander Dinelaris' "In This, Our Time…" is the longest offering and feels more like a full-length play than a one-act. Erin Darke and Ted Koch have an arresting chemistry as Jules, a troubled, wise-beyond-her-years 16-year-old, and Billy, Jules' stepdad. While Jules' mom, Maggie (Maryann Towne), gallivants about with other men, Billy stays home to take care of Jules, making dinner, listening to boy troubles, and encouraging safe sex. At the helm, J.J. Kandel keeps Dinelaris' many scenes moving along, and it's hard to shake the production's grim emotional impact.
In "The New Testament," Neil LaBute veers away from the unstated relationship theme to plunge into the testy topics of race and faith at a loaded showbiz power confab. At a restaurant over coconut cream mousse, a writer and a producer attempt to buy an actor out of his contract to play Jesus. The reason he can't play the part? He's Asian. As Jeff Binder's infuriating writer spews LaBute's loaded language, James Chen's seething actor withstands the impact of the biting words. Mando Alvarado provides some comic relief as the producer, who unsuccessfully tries to diffuse the situation. LaBute has a knack for writing what no one says aloud, and while he crosses a few too many boundaries as always, his words hold weight and leave questions lingering. Director Dolores Rice keeps the energy coursing at a nail-biting pace as the trio tries to navigate the faith and race questions.
The themes and questions might not be new ones, but all four productions offer grade-A writing and admirable performances. I laughed. I cried. What more can you ask for from a night of theater?
Presented by Throughline Artists as part of the Festival of New American Plays at 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St., NYC. Aug. 10–Sept. 1. Schedule varies. (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com. Casting by Billy Hopkins.
