SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Vincent River
|
You know how you tell you.re getting older? Questions people ask. Family stuff mainly. When you.re a kid it.s, 'How.s your mum?' A bit older. . .it.s, ‘You got a boyfriend yet?. Then ‘You courting yet?. Then, ‘How.s your husband?. ‘Got any children yet?. ‘Got any grandchildren yet?. No one ever asks, ‘Is your son dead yet?.—
Anita
|
Mark Field & Deborah Findley in Vincent River
(Photo: Carol Rosegg)
|
Anita recently lost her son Vincent in a brutal hate crime. He was beaten to death in an abandoned railway station bathroom, known as a hotbed of homosexual activity. In the three months since his death a young boy has been following Anita, and finally she invites him in. It seems Davie is the one who found Vincent.s body and called the police. He has been following Anita in some vain hope of resolution. As Anita talks to him, she begins to suspect that he knows a lot more about Vincent.s death than he.s telling her, and as she draws him out, we find out just how intertwined their lives were.
It.s a brutal, at times claustrophobic play that explores the high price of keeping secrets. Actors Deborah Findlay and Mark Field have a great chemistry together, and they resist the temptation to play their characters as types (the grieving mother; the confused kid). Their relationship, even before we know the full extent of it, is finely nuanced. Findlay is a master at relaying the complex emotions of Anita, especially at the end, when she must deal with an onslaught of new information. Sometimes it.s better to leave questions unanswered.
Writer Philip Ridley is a master at dispensing information a bit at a time. Although there.s no real action in the play (just two people talking for 85 minutes), the stakes and the tension remain high, keeping audience members locked in. The ending is especially well-written; it.s surprising but, upon reflection, exactly right. Director Steve Marmion keeps things tight and crisp, allowing us to tumble down the slope with Anita and Davie, while the spare set design (Harry Scott) and lighting design (Aaron Spivey) keep attention focused on the unfolding surprises.
|
Vincent River Written by Philip Ridley Directed by Steve Marmion With Deborah Findlay and Mark Field Design: Harry Scott Lighting Design: Aaron Spivey Sound Design: Steve Marmion Running Time: 85 minutes with no intermission 59E59, 59 East 59th Street, 212-279-4200 Tuesday through Friday at 8:15 PM, Saturday at 2:15 and 8:15 PM, Sunday at 3:15 and 7:15 PM Tickets $37.50 June 10th through June 29th Reviewed by Jenny Sandman based on June 17th performance |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): b>Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email and state if you'd like your comments published in our letters section. |
Try onlineseats.com for great seats to
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
South Pacific
In the Heights
Playbill 2007-08 Yearbook
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
South Pacific
In the Heights
Playbill 2007-08 Yearbook
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide