Margo on Oedipus at Palm Springs & Manuscript

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/29/05 at 5:30pm

Wednesday night, I saw "Oedipus at Palm Springs" from the Five Lesbian Brothers at New York Theatre Workshop, their first new work in six years. They're an Obie-winning troupe of writer/directors (Maureen Angelos, Babs Davy, Dominique Dibbell, Peg Healey and Lisa Kron) who've always been best known in past for plays that were hilarious, clever, unapologetically feminist/pro-lesbian and socially/politically aware. While this one certainly has all of those elements, it's definitely a bit of a departure for the troupe.

It involves a group of old friends (two couples) getting together for a weekend at a lesbian resort. One couple is having relationship issues in the wake of the birth of their son -- they haven't had sex in 4 years -- and are in therapy and hoping the weekend will rekindle the spark. The other is seemingly blissfully happy 7 year union of the May/December variety, with the older one planning to give the younger one an engagement ring on her birthday which is to be celebrated on the last day of the weekend.

The first half of the show unfortunately lacks some of the sharpness and wit one normally associates with the group. While many of the references and subject matter were topical and interesting (gay marriage, child adoption and rearing, lesbian motherhood) and the blend of satire and Greek tragedy works to some extent (especially in the guise of the entertaining New Age-y blind attendant who acts as a sort of seer and Chorus), too often the writing is overloaded with Dr.Phil-esque quasi-therapy speak and rather mundane relationship talk. The overall plotting in the first half has the ring of a melodramatic Lifetime movie -- albeit of a more sexually explicit variety than one would find on basic cable (there's lots of nudity and simulated sex in the show).

However, roughly halfway through, a subplot involving adoption begins to gain momentum, there's notable shift in tone and the Greek tragic elements of the show suddenly explode in a series of powerful, violent dramatic scenes that are quite effective. It's not at all the kind of play that one has come to associate with the Five Lesbian Brothers, but, be that as it may, on its own terms, it works. If "Oedipus" is a bit disjointed in tone, somewhat lacking in incisiveness and wit (it could use another draft) and takes a while to build steam, ultimately it is a worthwhile and satisfying effort from the group.



And last night, a friend took me to see "Manuscript," a new play by Paul Grellong. It deals with a pair of old high school buddies home from their first semester of college for Christmas break. Set in a Brooklyn Heights brownstone, David (Pablo Schreiber), an aspiting writer, is anxious to meet Elizabeth (Marin Ireland), a hot shot wunderkind who's already had her first novel published as a Freshman, whom his friend Chris (Jeffrey Carlson) met at Yale and has been dating. When Elizabeth shows up, after exchanging initial pleasantries, she and David pursue a free-wheling conversation about litertaure, school, his love of wrestling, his hatred of the rich and his hesitations about the novel he's writing, which eventually leads to him awkwardly questioning her about the manuscript of an earlier article she'd written for the Times Magazine which helped lead to her book deal.

I won't summarize further so as not give away any major details, but from there there are several clever plot twists and surprises that make this a very entertaining evening. Suffice to say, Grellong explores several moral dilemmas concerning ethics, ambition, loyalty, betrayal and revenge. The play reminds me of some of Neil LaBute's work, without quite the same overt shock factor. If there's plot hole here and there and if the character development is a bit pat at times, it noneless makes for an enjoyable rollercoaster ride.

Bob Balaban's direction is expert and bristlingly paced, the design elements are well-rendered and the performances are solid, for the most part -- there seemed to be something off in the rhythms between the two men in the initial scenes (which I'm not sure is a failure of acting, direction or the writing). That aside, a fun evening.

Updated On: 7/29/05 at 05:30 PM