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A Second Look at The Dying Gaul, a CurtainUp review CurtainUp
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A CurtainUp Review
A Second Look at Craig Lucas's The Dying Gaul

A mishap last spring has produced a lagniappe this fall. On the eve of the opening of this new play by Craig Lucas, one of its stars, Cotter Smith, suffered a back injury. A replacement had to be substituted and the opening had to be postponed. When it finally opened (to generally strong reviews, including at least one calling it the best play of the year), there remained but a few performances before it had to close.

The good news is that Cotter Smith's back seems to have healed, and the Vineyard has had the good sense to sneak the original cast back into its theatre for a few extra weeks. This affords CurtainUp a chance to take a second look at a production that remains the same but for Smith's re-entry. (Elyse Sommer's original review is linked below.)

Smith's role is Jeffrey, the film producer steeped in Hollywood's amorality. He succeeds splendidly in blending a sort of self-congratulatory bluster with a penchant for choreographed mendacity and a hint of vulnerability. In other words, he creates a role in which you can love his characterization even as you loathe his character.

In her original review, Elyse applauded the production even though she found the conclusion flawed. She also found some of the "online" interaction a bit "static." I second her applause, but have a slightly different take on her quibbles.
  • I found the production spellbinding, a word I don't use often. I was intrigued by the way Lucas drew the audience in with a placid beginning (static, perhaps). Well written and funny, as well as impeccably staged and performed, there is little advance warning of the hairpin turns that convert what starts out seeming like a well-made potboiler into a stunning thriller.
  • Elyse wrote cryptically of the play's "manufactured" and "out of character ending," and I won't be any more forthcoming about its substance. Although I did find the circumstances and execution a bit clumsy, (particularly in contrast to the sleekness of everything else about this production), I think the ending was jolting and unnerving but not flawed. It just shows how difficult it can be to assess what's going on inside someone else's head.
One final observation has to do with the design team with which director Mark Brokaw has associated for this production. Brokaw has received much-deserved acclaim for his work over the last couple of years. (Links to his other projects can be found below.) It's now clear that it is no accident that the fastidiousness that defines his work also extends to the designers with whom he associates. Allen Moyer's set is painfully simple and yet excruciatingly precise; Jess Goldstein, who could have gotten by with a collection of street clothes, has provided each character with an evolving, nuanced wardrobe; Christopher Akerlind has powerful lit and backlit the stage; and David Van Tieghem has again demonstrated the effectiveness of talented, focused music and sound. It may seem like the ribbon and the bow but it is indeed a large part of what makes the package so memorable.
a list of all book reviews, see our,
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THE DYING GAUL 
by Craig Lucas 
Directed by Mark Brokaw 
with Linda Emond, Tim Hopper, Robert Emmet Lunney and Cotter Smith 
Set Design: Allen Moyer 
Costume Design: Jess Goldstein 
Lighting Design: Christopher Akerlind 
Original Music and Sound Design: David Van Tieghem 
Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15th Street  (212) 353 - 3874 
Limited second run closes October 25, 1998 
Reviewed by Les Gutman 9/25/98
broadwaynewyork.com


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