Waiting for "The Call"

Kelly AuCoin, as Peter, Kerry Butler as Annie with Eisa Davis as Rebecca and Crystal A. Dickinson as Drea in  Tanya Barfield's "The Call" at Playwrights Horizons. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Couples desperate to be parents often use hope and sometimes each other in their efforts to conceive.

In Tanya Barfield's new drama, "The Call," in a joint Playwrights Horizons and Primary Stages production at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater extended to May 26th, the struggle to adopt just prolongs the agonies of a young married pair.

Annie (Kerry Butler) and Peter (Kelly AuCoin) suffer mightily for the want of a child. One can see the yearning in Peter's eyes as they assemble a crib in their spare room.

Kerry Butler as Annie, Kelly AuCoin as Peter, Russell G. Jones as Alemu, Crystal A. Dickinson as Drea and Eisa Davis as Rebecca in Tanya Barfield's "The Call." Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Over dinner with a couple, Drea (Crystal A. Dickinson) and Rebecca (Eisa Davis) who have just returned from Africa where they got married, share their expectations of a private adoption. When the birth mother backs out, Peter and Annie are unmoored. Peter presses Annie into seeking help from an agency. The fact that the child they hope to parent will come from Africa stirs up concerns from them and their friends and a neighbor.

Kelly AuCoin as Peter with Eisa Davis as Rebecca, Crystal A. Dickinson (standing) as Drea and Kerry Butler as Annie in "The Call."  Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

"The Call," directed by Leigh Silverman moves a bit slowly through the first act, but is grippingly transcendent in the second. The actors acquit themselves splendidly, with Russell G. Jones, as Alemu, an odd African neighbor of Peter and Annie's, adding a poignant humor to the story. Crystal A. Dickinson stands out in the fine ensemble as Drea, the truth-talking girlfriend of Peter and Annie's old friend Rebecca.

At its heart, "The Call" is a parlor drama, exploring relationships, race and responsibility in a well-written, intelligent play that is also thought-provoking and  likeable.

For more information on the joint production of "The Call," visit www.PlaywrightsHorizons.org and www.PrimaryStages.org.

Seeing the future in "In The Summer Pavilion"

Photo by Gerry Goodstein: Ryan Barry in Paul David Young's "In The Summer Pavilion" at 59E59 Theaters.

The future lies before you like a summer sky when you're fresh out of college. There are endless possibilities for you and your closest friends.

In "In The Summer Pavilion," at 59E59 Theaters through November 3rd, those endless possibilities play out as alternate realities. 

Photo by Gerry Goodstein: Meena Dimian and Rachel Mewbron in Paul David Young's "In The Summer Pavilion."

Ben (Ryan Barry), Clarissa (Rachel Mewbron) and Nabile (Meena Dimian), friends just graduated from Princeton, come together like a sexy stew as "In The Summer Pavilion" begins their journey.

"Mr. Premonition here thinks he can see the future," Nabile says. Ben is wary. "You two, you're dangerous," he tells them.  Nabile answers him a little cryptically, "Take off your mask of sorrow and let the comedy play."  

Barry Ryan as Ben, Rachel Mewbron as Clarissa, and Meena Dimian as Nabile in "In The Summer Pavilion." Photo by  Gerry Goodstein.

In each scenario, Ben, Clarissa and Nabile pair off differently, as the play unfolds going forward seven years. There is a promise, unkept, of secrets being revealed. "A night full of adventure. Doors opening. Desires fulfilled. Secrets revealed," Nabile says. Alas, they are not, but several likely outcomes are. "Do you sometimes have the feeling that we've been here before?"  

Paul David Young's play is rich in imagery; it teases with snippets of poetic philosophizing, and offers a satisfying amount of adventure.     

"No, be a jerk. Say the uncomfortable thing. I'm ready for it now." Ben says. "I am young/ Unripened hope."

"In The Summer Pavilion" is an intriguing work. The acting under Kathy Gail MacGowan's direction is charming and natural. Everything-- sexuality, career paths, partners-- is up for grabs. All of it is an a wild ride. We should probably take Nabile' s advice and get out the Ouija board.

Bonus points for having the playwright, Paul David Young, in the audience. Young adapted  and 
directed his screenplay for  "In The Summer Pavilion," which is due to be released in 2013.

For more information about  "In The Summer Pavilion," visit  www.59e59.org.

Just Being Neighborly in "Detroit"

Neighbors used to be more than just the folks who live next door. They were the people with whom we shared a community, a way of life, a neighborhood.

As Lisa D'Amour's "Detroit," at Playwrights Horizons through October 28th, begins, the welcome mat is extended in that old-fashioned neighborly way.

John Cullum in "Detroit" in a photo by Jeremy Daniel. 

Ben (David Schwimmer) and Mary (Amy Ryan) invite the young couple who've moved in next door for a barbeque. Thanks to the friendship they develop with Ken (Darren Pettie) and Sharon (Sarah Sokolovic), their lives seem a little less lonely. Suburbia is an isolating environment, and the one we visit in "Detroit," thanks to the inspired set designs by Louisa Thompson, is nearly desolate.

Sarah Sokolovic, Darren Pettie, Amy Ryan  & David Schwimmer in a scene from "Detroit." Photo by Jeremy Daniel

Ken and Sharon are open about their lives and their addictions.  Ben, recently laid off, is building a website for the business he wants to start. Sharon works in a call center. The couples engage with each other, sharing their life stories as neighbors do, over the next several months.

But there is a dark side to each of them. Darren Pettie is especially creepy showing off his while Amy Ryan's Mary is so fragile that she can barely open the sliding door to the porch.  John Cullum's Frank comes in like a "deus ex machina" to tie up the loose ends for us, but by then, the damage has been done.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel.  Darren Pettie, Amy Ryan, David Schwimmer & Sarah Sokolovic.

The writing in "Detroit" is natural. The acting is uniformly excellent. Bring some chips, and join the party.

For more information about "Detroit," visit http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/now_playing.html.