Photo Source: Tasha Straley
The show's poignancy has almost everything to do with Michael Stephen Clay's performance as William Turner, the Brooklyn-based Scottish patriarch whose wife of 60 years, Addie, deserts him while he's out running errands. Why she picks up and leaves is never made entirely clear, though the couple's wayward son, Dan (Ned Baker Lynch), does encourage his mom to take control of her life, something he can't do himself.
Clay fully embodies everything about William, from his ramblings to Addie in the next room to his chronic lovesick stubbornness, and though William verbally abuses his wife's lawyer, Clay somehow keeps him sympathetic and likable. That's more than can be said of Addie, though it's the playwright and not actor Mary Anisi who is to blame. Aside from a long-winded monologue in her lawyer's office, we rarely get Addie's perspective. Also, Walker never paints William as anything but a lovable husband, even if his daughter, Cora (Debbie Friedlander), does insinuate that he's made abusive threats. William's worst offense is wearing his kilt to a law office. It's an imbalance that needs redressing.
Addie clings to her lawyer (a suitable David Sedgwick), paying significant sums for the time spent, much to the chagrin of her children, who are selfishly banking on a substantial inheritance. Friedlander successfully inhabits all of Cora's aspects: fed-up sister, obedient daughter, and burnt-out single mother. In her hands, Cora's seething anger simmers with every word, and Friedlander's strong dramatic timing keeps the slower scenes, of which there are many, moving.
Despite the sluggish parts, the play is notably well-structured for a work developed through improvisation. The organization almost works too well, and some characters, such as Dan's fiancée, Nancy, feel like plot devices. In addition to drugs and a dysfunctional family, Nancy is another obstacle in Dan's misguided life, while their relationship also serves as a parallel portrait of flawed love. Amanda Baker's performance in the role is wanting, and the character never reaches her potential.
Co-directors Walker and Reesa Graham often rely on cathartic rambling to keep the audience engaged, and their direction fails to tighten the play. At the opening-night performance, the lighting and musical cues were off. The stage lights would often dim before the scene concluded as scene-change music played preemptively.
The story is touching and has theatrical potential. However, like William, some of the rough edges need to be rounded off.
Presented by the Seeing Place Theater at the American Theater of Actors' Sargent Theater, 314 W. 54th St., 4th floor, NYC. Sep. 26–Oct. 9. Mon. and Tue., 8 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 2 p.m. (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com.
