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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

Vincent River
Mark Field & Deborah Findley in Vincent River (Photo: Carol Rosegg)
Vincent River is one of the strongest offerings of 59E59.s Brits Off Broadway festival. The latest from acclaimed Brit playwright Philip Ridley, Vincent River pits a grief-stricken mother against a young kid who knows more about her son.s death than he.s letting on.

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
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