Second Stage inaugurates its newly renovated Hayes Theater with a sterling production of Lobby Hero.
Originally produced in 2001 but only now making its Broadway debut, Kenneth Lonergan’s play resonates today as highly timely in its penetrating look at sexual misconduct, racial perceptions, and shady police behavior. Smartly constructed by Lonergan with finely-detailed characters whose talk and conflicts provoke plenty of laughter and suspense—and even a few moments that cause audible rumbles of dismay from among the audience—Lobby Hero is a realistic drama set in New York City, circa 1999.
Metro area viewers in particular will enjoy the play for its urban edginess of story and tone. Think of it as Law & Disorder.
The engrossing two-act drama unfolds over several late nights in and around the grungy lobby of a high-rise apartment building that maintains a security guard instead of a doorman. Working the graveyard shift behind the desk is Jeff (Michael Cera), a gabby, dorky-looking white guy in his late twenties. William (Brian Tyree Henry), his supervisor, a harried African-American man, drops by to caution Jeff about his sloppy ways. Almost incidentally, William mentions how his brother could be connected to a serious crime. William might need to provide an alibi and Jeff is happy to counsel his boss on what to do.
Two cops patrolling in the neighborhood are Bill (Chris Evans), an assertive veteran, and Dawn (Bel Powley), a foul-mouthed rookie who obviously is crushed on her swaggering (and married) partner. Soon Dawn learns some dismaying news about Bill’s dubious doings from Jeff—anxious to impress her—that sours their personal and professional relationship. Eventually the ugly situation involving William’s brother boils over and mires everyone in a mess of falsehoods, confrontations, and recriminations.
Lonergan, a top-tier writer whose subsequent work includes the Academy Award-winning screenplay for Manchester by the Sea, develops this story thorough extremely natural-sounding, often humorous, conversations that reveal the characters and their desires.
His deepest character study considers Jeff, more or less a loser who aspires to improve his life and do the right thing but usually ends up making trouble for himself and others. It is a seriocomic portrait of an irritating, none-too-swift bumbler that proves oddly endearing. Cera’s performance as Jeff certainly earns viewer sympathy. Strategically dressed by designer Paloma Young in an oversized uniform and a bad haircut, the skinny Cera uneasily jams his fists into his pockets as Jeff haplessly yammers away in an obvious, and mostly vain, effort to ingratiate himself with people.
In bristling contrast, Evans assuredly presents a not-so-good policeman who easily manipulates others. Henry aptly interprets the beleaguered William as a man betrayed by his kindhearted nature. Noticeably smaller in stature than the men, Powley empowers Dawn with a feisty attitude usually belied by her troubled countenance. All of the actors invest their characters with gritty naturalness and authentic accents under Trip Cullman’s finely-tuned direction that presents the drama literally from every angle, thanks to a turntable setting of the lobby designed by David Rockwell.
Second Stage was established in order to provide a second look at plays that were not sufficiently appreciated in their initial productions. During the nearly 40 years since, the company has evolved to premiere new works as well, but it’s always good to see a worthy play such as Lobby Hero revived with such all-around excellence.
In its latest incarnation, Second Stage acquired the 106 year-old Helen Hayes Theater to present some of its shows as Broadway productions. After undergoing a reported $22 million renovation by the Rockwell Group, the 600-seat theater now reopens its doors with Lobby Hero. Not incidentally, the venue’s name has been neutered to The Hayes in hopes of a future rebranding by a wealthy sponsor. Helen Hayes, the former First Lady of the American theater, likely would appreciate such show-biz pragmatics.
From the looks of it, most of the money has been invested into backstage systems and improvements unseen by patrons. The public bathrooms have been enlarged and modernized. The still-modest lobby areas are done up in light greys with orange accents. The auditorium, however, is boldly repainted in shades of blue that are lighter in the rear of the house and grow darker closer to the stage. The walls are curiously decorated in pixilated patterns said to suggest the motifs of long-gone French tapestries that were there a century ago. It’s a nice idea that does not register easily to the eye. The major drawback to the auditorium is its cramped seating. The seats are re-covered in a plush, orange-colored fabric, but they remain too-tightly configured together and admit only limited knee and wiggle room.
It would be wonderful if Second Stage could attract a donor whose dough would be spent removing a few rows of seats so that theatergoers could enjoy their shows in relative comfort. Such beneficence might well be rewarded in heavenly as well as in Broadway circles.
Lobby Hero opened on March 26, 2018, at The Hayes Theater and runs through May 13. Tickets and information: 2st.com
