Photo Source: Jen Maufrais Kelly
Set a few years before America's current economic doldrums, when an entrepreneurial pilot could make considerable money giving private flight lessons, "Hard Wall" introduces Donnie during a personal upswing. He and his wife, June—played by Sarah Kate Jackson, who effectively emphasizes the character's devotion—are expecting their first baby, and Donnie's business is going so well that June doesn't have to pull double shifts at the diner anymore. There is the issue of Trout, Donnie's emotionally stunted brother, who rents out the basement with his skimpily clad girlfriend Marcy, but even their frequent inebriated antics can't sour Donnie and June's pleasant life. Things are good, but we know it won't last.
A seductive scene between Donnie and Marcy suggests a potential affair. In Ryan Templeton's hands, Marcy is a magnetic imp of a woman, but Donnie's attraction to her is only one factor in the larger-scale meltdown. The devastating revelation that Donnie gave flying lessons to the men who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks leaves him out of work and in the throes of deep depression. Trout, however, is stirred to action, and while Halfnight doesn't make that big of a deal about the two brothers swapping roles, it is a nice, natural progression, particularly thanks to Johnny Pruitt's balanced performance as Trout.
Though fictionalized, Halfnight's play reframes the topic of Sept. 11 with compelling specificity. Likewise, the few carefully embellished bits of stagecraft in director May Adrales' otherwise naturalistic production are masterfully executed, even if the clichéd life-or-death climax feels tacked on and a little textbook.
Presented by Astoria Performing Arts Center at the Good Shepard United Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent St., Astoria, N.Y. Nov. 5–19. Thu. and Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m. (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.apacny.org.
