L-R: John Epperson, Matthew Broderick, Jill Eikenberry, Annapurna Sriram, Larry Pine, Claudia Shear 

 

 

                                         By Ron Cohen

 

Playwright Wallace Shawn has no compunctions about letting his characters talk on and on and on… So, it’s fitting that his latest effort, being presented by The New Group, is entitled Evening at the Talk House. And the people inhabiting it indeed do a lot of talking. A lot of the chatter is amusing, quite innocuous at first, but as might be expected with Shawn – whose works often obsess about the onset of fascist regimes -- it evolves into something rather ominous, something seemingly and disturbingly prescient.

 

The Talk House of the title is a faded club once favored by those in the world of theater. They gathered there after shows for “delicious and generously-sized snacks, some of them pleasantly sautéed, some delightfully freezing cold, all rather charming and unexpected,” as we are told.

 

We’re also told that the world of the theater now is practically non-existent. Television seems to be, almost exclusively, dispensing entertainment. On this particular evening, though, a group of former stage folks has gathered to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of a play called Midnight in a Clearing with Moon and Stars. Midnight – as it’s known for short -- wasn’t a success but it’s fondly remembered by those involved. Those showing up for the reunion include the play’s author, Robert, now a well-heeled television writer; Tom, an easy-going guy who was the play’s lead and now is the beloved star of Robert’s TV show, and Bill, the play’s producer who has evolved into a top talent agent.

 

Fortune has not been so kind to others on hand. Ted, who wrote incidental music for Midnight and initiated the reunion, is considered “old-fashioned.” Annette, who was the wardrobe supervisor, ekes out a living by doing clothing repairs for private customers. Also present are Jane, a once-aspiring actress who worked at the club at the time of the opening and now has returned to employment there, and Nellie, the club’s warm-hearted and welcoming manager. Lastly, there is Dick, who was rejected for the lead role in Robert’s play, found and lost lucrative TV stardom and now resides at the club.

 

The scene is set and the characters introduced in an extremely long opening monologue delivered by Robert. Since Robert is played by Matthew Broderick, who here reverts to the semi-deadpan manner that has marked much of his work in recent years, the monologue seems longer than it probably is. Still, you can’t help listening, intrigued by Shawn’s slyly quaint turns of phrase and enticing bits of storytelling. As the others take over the conversation, we hear more about their lives as well as those gossipy bits about their profession so beloved by those of the theater. But we also hear about how society and politics have evolved, particularly a government-fostered policy called the “Program of Murdering,” under which citizens can dispose of undesirables internationally. It’s a program particularly liked “in rural areas.” Some of those at the gathering reveal they have participated in one way or another in the program; others express mild outrage, but it’s all discussed as fairly matter of fact, a sort of normalization of the horrific. As the evening comes to a close and candles are blown out one by one, the Talk House is enveloped in threatening darkness.

 

Jill Eikenberry, Larry Pine, Claudia Shear, Michael Tucker

 

Director Scott Elliott, artistic director of The New Group, has put together a stellar company that gives validity and vibrancy to Shawn’s tricky writing. Even Broderick’s diffidence comes across as a part of the character’s persona rather than just a performer’s mannerism.  Along with adding a dollop of marquee value to the production, Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker – long remembered for their work on TV.’s L.A. Law – deliver well-rounded portraits of Bill and Nellie, respectively. Claudia Shear’s Annette has a proletarian intensity that commands respect, while Larry Pine, a frequent Shawn colleague, gushes with affable authority as Tom. John Epperson as Ted and Annapurna Sriram as Jane inspire sympathy as two distinctively lost souls, and even more lost is Dick, embodied in appropriately disheveled fashion by Shawn himself.

 

Wallace Shawn                                           photos by : Monique Carboni 

 

Derek McLane’s comfy-looking set nicely evokes a clubby atmosphere, and that atmosphere is further enhanced before the show starts, as the settling-in audience is encouraged to mingle on set with cast members. The audience can also enjoy a welcoming snack of gummi candies, marshmallows and varicolored drinks, and as an extra bonus, midway through the proceedings, Eikenberry and Epperson get together for a sweetly moving rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s ballad “Good Thing Going” from Merrily We Roll Along.

 

But be aware that despite all the initial sweetness, the talk at the Talk House threatens to become toxic, with an intelligence and perspicacity that, while sometimes unwieldy, demand our attention.

 

Off-Broadway play

Playing at The Pershing Square Signature Center (The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre)

480 West 42^nd Street

212-279-4200

www.thenewgroup.org

Playing until March 12