Joe Penhall's Dumb Show is a play that on the surface looks simple and seems to be a dream for small theatre companies and youngish performers. There are three juicy roles, basically a single set -- a hotel room, here well-rendered by co-directors Rich Costales and Kailee McGee acting as scenic designers for this New York premiere -- and a terrific topicality. At the same time, Penhall's drama contains a host of pitfalls for artists, and though the ensemble works gamely to deliver a crackling drama, their efforts are no match for the traps of this shrewd play.
The opening moments of Dumb Show set the first hurdle. Barry (Alexander Smith), a comic with an acclaimed television series, comes into the suite with Greg (Anthony Caronna) and Liz (Heather Daley). It's not immediately clear why these two have invited Barry to the room, but given the overemphasized good-guy bonhomie and overzealous laughter from all three performers, the fact that there are secrets and hidden agendas on everyone's part is telegraphed to the audience. When Greg and Liz announce they've brought Barry up to discuss his banking business, the blatancy of the lie has been made all too apparent. Instead of being intrigued, theatregoers wonder about the credibility of Barry's intelligence and talent.
After stumbling with the script's primary challenge, only Smith manages to overcome its subsequent hurdles, primarily transforming into a drunken bad boy. When Greg's and Liz's masks fall, Caronna and Daley deliver tentative performances bearing too many hallmarks of the production's opening moments, meaning that the characters never fully take control of the action as required. Thus, when Penhall's script stretches into topical salaciousness, the credibility of the piece as a whole is undermined, and theatregoers learn that it requires true smarts to pull off plays like Dumb Show.
Presented by the Lighthouse Theatre
at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place, NYC.
Feb. 13–21. Wed. 7 p.m.; Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. (212) 868-4444 or Smart Tix.