At this point, if the Minetta Lane Theatre didn’t exist, someone would have to invent it. The intimate West Village venue, which for many years had more misses than hits, has become a theatrical hot spot where major stars appear in limited runs of shows that would otherwise have a hard time getting produced. The latest examples are two plays being presented in repertory by Audible and Together: Corey Stoll and Cecily Strong in What Happened Was…, and Hugh Jackman, Marianna Gailus, and Sepideh Moafi (one of several stars of The Pitt currently appearing on our stages) in New Born. Both are eminently worth a visit.
★★★★ What Happened Was…
If the title seems familiar, it’s because this two-character drama by the late actor/playwright/filmmaker Tom Noonan was seen off-Broadway in 1992 before he turned it into an acclaimed 1994 film starring himself and Karen Sillas as two office co-workers on a first date. Jackie (Strong) methodically if nervously prepares for her guest’s arrival, frantically straightening up her apartment as Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” blares on her stereo. When the doorbell rings before she’s had a chance to finish, she hurriedly flings her tights into her refrigerator.
Her date, Michael (Stoll), is clearly nervous, to the point where he seems reluctant to take his overcoat off. It soon becomes apparent that he’s an odd duck when he recoils at the word “seafood” even though, as he explains, he actually likes to eat fish. A self-described “science nerd,” he goes on and on about the most arcane topics. But he’s also polite enough to patiently listen to Jackie read aloud a children’s story she’s written that turns out to be darker than the Brothers Grimm.
The 80-minute piece vividly conveys the inner turmoil of its two neurotic characters as they attempt to make an emotional connection which Jackie clearly wants more than him. The playwright’s gifts for quirky characterizations and off-kilter dialogue are on ample display in the sensitive staging by Ian Rickson that showcases Strong’s emotional expressiveness. The actress displayed her comic talents for years on Saturday Night Live, but with such theater shows as The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe and Brooklyn Laundry she’s proved that she also has serious chops as a dramatic performer.
Stoll is also very good, but the actor seems a bit miscast, a little too alpha male to make his character’s insecurities fully convincing. He works hard but fails to erase the memory of the indelible Noonan, whose lanky physicality and distinctive features made him so perfect for eccentric characters.
★★★ New Born
This work by British playwright Ella Hickson consists of three monologues. In the first, Light, a forty-year-old married woman (Moafi) meets a younger, very rich and famous female pop star at a party. The resulting encounter, which includes a shopping spree and eventually a rendezvous at the singer’s hotel room, induces strong feelings in the narrator about her life and marriage. Moafi excellently inhabits her character, but the slight piece lacks emotional depth and goes on far too long.
Rattle, set in Wyoming in the 19th century, revolves around a female barkeep (Gailus, who served as Andrew Scott’s understudy for his one-person show Vanya) who is assaulted by a ranch hand after he sees vivid evidence that she’s having her period. Speaking in a Western drawl, she unveils a complicated tale involving the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan into the area, the disappearance of a young Black boy, and the way in which she gets revenge on her tormentor. It’s a lot to convey in a small amount of time, resulting in the piece feeling overstuffed with narrative surprises. Gailus, however, makes a strong impression.
The best is saved for last in Deadwood, with Jackman’s movie star charisma on full display in a story about a tree surgeon who embarks on a passionate romance with one of his clients. Relating the initial encounter and early stages of the love affair with the enthusiasm of a lovestruck teenager, the narrator falls into despair when, after the birth of their child, his ardor suddenly cools and the relationship begins to disintegrate. It’s the best written, most engaging monologue of the trio, with Jackman delivering a rich, multi-layered performance that has us fully relating to his flawed but very human character.
Rickson’s staging for the three portions is once again simple but effective, featuring few embellishments, scenic or otherwise, other than the tall ladder that Jackman climbs to suggest his character at work on a tree.
Running 110 minutes without an intermission, the evening adds up to less than the sum of its parts. But as a showcase for its trio of talented actors, it works beautifully.
