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A CurtainUp Review
The North Pool
The North Pool's New
York Debut at the Vineyard Theater
By Zoe Erwin-Longstaff
The power play between Vice Principal Danielson (Stephen Barker Turner) and a transfer student, Khadim (revived by Babek Tafti), remains at once both compelling and confusing — especially confusing as the scattered clues as to who is vandalizing school facilities become increasingly outlandish. While the scenario leaves us puzzled and even off-kilter, the dynamic between the two protagonists is credible enough. VP Danielson is an appropriately asinine authority figure, trying to project a stern yet friendly persona that seems comically out of touch with the teenagers he must deal with. Khadim, for his part, is a typical broody adolescent who would rather attend to text messages than have a real conversation with someone who doesn’t share his angst. But Danielson forces Khadim’s hand when, on the final day before Spring Break, he holds him back for an afterschool detention. The entire play takes place in real time in the VP’s office. From the faded maps and “inspirational” poster of Einstein mounted on the chipped concrete walls, Donyale Werle’s set achieves an admirable verisimilitude. As the moments tick by, oh so slowly, we cringe at the awkwardness of Danielson, as he confronts Khadim; but by the last quarter of this one acter, we’re unsure of who to identify with. Here the sound design works effectively to leave the audience with an appropriate feeling of unease in the play's final moments. Indeed, exiting the play, those of us more than a few years out of high school feel all the more alienated from, and perhaps haunted by, the absurd decorum that seems to be required inside its walls. Vineyard Theater Production Notes The North Pool by Rajiv Joseph Directed by Giovanna Sardelli Cast: Stephen Barker Turner (Vice Principal Danielson),Babak Tafti (Khadim) Sets: Donyale Werle Lights: David Lander Costumes: Paloma Young Sound: Daniel Kluger Running Time: Approximately 80 minutes without intermission Stephen Barker Turner replaces Babak Tafti, From 2/14/13; opening; 3/06/13. Reviewed by Zoe Erwin-Longstaff on March 5th |
The North Pool review at Barrington Stage
By Elyse
Sommer
| "Nobody's contained by
a file, isn't that right? .Nobody's contained by a rumor.
Or a census, or an evaluation or diagnosis. . .anything when you
think about it. And if that's so, then all we really have
left is perceptions, isn't it? Perception becomes reality.
The onion is still the onion, no mattr how many layers you peel
off. Even if there is so much underneath."— Danielson.
|
Babak Tafti and Remi Sandri
(Photo by Kevin Sprague) |
It doesn't take more than a few minutes into Joseph's psychological mystery to realize that Khadim's failure to return to class after a fire drill is just an excuse for Danielson to summon him to his office for detention. He's out to investigate other, more deeply troubling issues. As Danielson is cast as the investigator so Khadim is the metaphoric onion whose layers are stripped away clue after increasingly fraught with danger clue. But hold on. This isn't a Christie cozie but a new young playwright with a growing reputation for bring a fresh voice to life's problems. And so, Danielson turns out to be as much a part of the clues and red herring setup as the student he seems to suspect of being a wolf among his sheep.
The way this scenario plays with the audience's perception of the characters and what starts as a seemingly ordinary situation makes for an attention holding and suspenseful drama. However, to really get into this emotionally and politically charged cat and mouse game, you need to park your disbelief at the possibility of an interchange like that between this play's two characters actually taking place before you enter the theater. The same goes for the pile up of revelations and the almost too neat way they bring in numerous social issues.
Though the overly extraordinary, colorful and excessive surprises that Mr. Joseph has worked into the layers of his dramatic onion tend to obscure the more serious undercurrents that add topicality to the Christie-like thriller. The North Pool is nevertheless an intense, very watchable addition to a resume that already includes a Pulitzer Prize runner-up (Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo). If there's a common thread to the four Joseph plays I've now seen, it's that each reflects the original voice of a gifted and thoughtful writer, one who doesn't allow himself to fall into a comfortable niche.
Like its predecessors, The North Pool is also a gift for actors. The title role of Bengal Tiger in th Baghdad Zoo brought Robin Williams to Broadway, but was also a showcase for its ensemble. Remi Sandri and Babak Tafti turn the roles of the Vice-Principal and the Syrian born, multi-lingual rich kid into a double tour-de-force.
Sandri who also played Danielson in the West Coast premiere has the more emotionally showy role. However, Tafti is terrific at letting us see the discomfort and suspicion beneath the initially uncommunicative Khadim, then letting anger burst to the surface. Both actors must do a complete emotional turnaround during the final 15 minutes when the last skeleton has been pulled from Danielson's files and notes and Khadim's locker and the hostile cat and mouse game ends with both the older and younger man face to face with the tragedy that is the real trigger for this principal-student confrontation.
Director Giovanna Sardelli has been with this production since its debut by Theatre Works in Palo Alto and will be at the helm again when it lands at New York's most prestigious Off-Broadway theaters, the Vineyard, next fall. While no announcements have been made about cast or designers, the Vineyard could do a lot worse than the Barrington Stage actors or Brian Prather's authentic recreation of a big school executive's office with glimpses of the locker lined hallways.
Below are links to the three Rajiv Joseph plays we've reviewed, the most recent and just a few weeks ago here in the Berkshires.
Animals Out of Paper
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Gruesome Playground Injuries
Barrington Stage Production Notes
The North Pool by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli
Cast: Remi Sandri (Vice Principal Danielson),Babak Tafti (Khadim)
Sets: Brian Prather
Lights: Clifton Taylor
Costumes: Amy Clark
Sound: Daniel Kluger
Stage Manager: Zach Chandler
Running Time: Approximately 80 minutes without intermission
Barrington Stage Company, St. Germain Stage 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
From July 26 – August 11; opening July 29
Tuesday-Friday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 3pm (excluding July 26), Saturday at 4pm and 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. Additional performance on Sunday, August 5 at 7:30pm.
Tickets are $15-$39; with preview prices of $15 on July 26 & 27. Seniors: $28 all matinees. Youth 18 and under $15 all performances except Saturday evenings.
Reviewed by Elyse Sommer at July 29th press preview
Slings & Arrows- view 1st episode free
Anything Goes Cast RecordingOur review of the show
Book of Mormon -CDOur review of the show
