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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.
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 |
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