THIS is THAT

For some unknown reason, our pre-theater dining has recently slid downhill. The result of last night’s dinner at the West Bank Cafe on W 42nd Street was to serve as a reminder to never, ever eat there again and to tell our readers and friends to avoid it too. I guess we are just not as smart as we think we are, as we should have realized that when a pre-theater restaurant directly across from a theater is nearly empty, one should take a hint.

We survived the ordeal that was dinner and made our way across the street to the very modern Playwrights Horizons Theater to see THIS. The theater is really lovely with relatively spacious seats. It’s a small, intimate theater which lends itself perfectly to plays like this new one by Melissa James Gibson, which by the way is very much about intimacy.

A great set serves as the backdrop for two uninterrupted hours of dialogue between 4 longtime and “very dear” friends and one newcomer. Gibson’s script is very free flowing and quick. Contemporary without being pushy. Perhaps she tried a little too hard to present a topical play that features two interracial couples, a single gay Jewish man and a single bisexual Frenchman. Perhaps it’s not a show for your great-grandma, unless your great grandma likes to discuss adultery.

We liked this show, which is thought provoking and spurred great after-theater-ride-home talk. We liked the set. We liked most of the costumes but found the sexy Frenchman’s outfit in the last act an insult to even the colorblind. And we really, really liked the casting of most of the show. Glenn Fitzgerald plays the gay Jew with aplomb. Louis Cancelmi is actually French which must be why his accent sounds so incredibly authentic. Eisa Davis is wonderful as the beleaguered new mother and her brief forays singing at the piano give a tiny insight into her wonderful musical ability. Darren Pettie as the cheating husband gives a solid performance.

Oh my, did we leave out the lead, Julianne Nicholson? The only thing we agree on about her is that she is wearing the positively worst haircut we have seen on Broadway. Jeff thinks she was perfectly cast and handled the role as it was meant to be played. Cathy thinks she could not possibly have been anyone’s first choice as her performance seemed flat-lined despite how the character is written. What annoyed Cathy even more was the total absence of any chemistry between the adulterers….even a tiny spark would have been welcome. Jeff on the other hand thought this lack of chemistry was also as these characters were meant to be played.

Despite our disagreement about Julianne we enjoyed THIS. We are taking a little winter break and going South in search of sun and to catch up on our movie watching. We wish you a happy, healthy and theater filled 2010. We’ll be back here with our reactions after we see PRESENT LAUGHTER on January 6th!