Nat
DeWolf, Maria Striar, Crystal Finn & April Matthis photos by Joan Marcus
by Michall Jeffers
Winston
Churchill described Russia as “
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." The same could be said,
much less profoundly, of Antlia Pneumatica. Just when you think you’ve
gotten a handle on it, the play shifts. Is it a poetic show about unfulfilled
dreams? A scientific dissertation? Or one big ghost story?
A group of childhood friends, now almost middle aged, have
gathered at the Texas Hill Country home of Nina (Annie Parisse) and Liz (April
Matthis) to have a wake for their old friend, Sean. They look back on their
wild pasts, former loves, reveal their present lives and ponder the
inevitability of death. In the process they gossip over cooking and sing
together in the night. The mood of the ranch house is pretty gloomy, and while
we get the feeling of the withering Southwestern heat, the pace is glacial.
The first unexplained mystery is why are the two sisters from
different races, one white, one black? Seems like that might be an interesting
story.
There are two outstanding performances in a very good cast. Annie
Parisse (Nina), dark eyed and bone thin, seems at once tightly wound and almost
preternaturally calm. She looks forward to the arrival of her old lover, Adrian
(Rob Campbell), but she also seems extremely trepidatious. Was he truly the
one who got away, despite Nina’s assertion that her life is good? We hear, but
never see, her two children. When Crystal Finn (Bama) bursts on
the scene, the energy level on stage immediately shoots up. Her Bama, is loopy,
lovable, and bursting with news, including an
otherworldly memory, a most welcome presence.
Crystal
Finn, April Matthis, Nat DeWolf, Annie Parisse & Maria Striar
There are tidbits throughout that are clues to what’s real and
what isn’t. Is Don dead, or not? How can he carry any news? As is pointed out,
what’s wrong with Adrian that he turns down guacamole and fried chicken? The
ranch house is not where Nina and Liz grew up; it was bought by their rock star
father as a retreat. So, why is the reunion being held there? Why is Nina’s
child so distraught about the killing of an ant? Where does the fanciful
funeral Nina describes as her mother’s style factor in? Is there a connection
between the tiny ant and the vast Antlia Pneumatica amorphous constellation?
Author Anne Washburn has admitted that she does believe in ghosts;
director Ken Rus Schmoll creates the illusion of an existence where this is not
only possible, but even probable. The ritualistic composing of pies becomes
hypnotic, even lyrical, while the night sky seems almost impossibly full of
stars. A dreamlike quality pervades.
Antlia Pneumatica was commissioned for
Playwrights Horizons in 2010; it took years and much careful thought and
planning to come to fruition. Anne Washburn wrote it at a silent retreat for
writers in Texas run by Erik Ehn. Washburn has admittedly incorporated the
venue into the play; both the Blue Hole and the pecan orchard are part of the
landscape. The playwright explains the title, “It’s a real constellation…this
French scientist just sort of went to town on creating completely obscure and
impossible to see constellations…it’s not like every star belonged to a
constellation. All of the dots were not connected.” Perhaps it’s best to accept
Antlia Pneumatica in just this fashion.
Antlia
Pneumatica,
Playwrights Horizons’ Peter Sharp Theater, 416 West 42 St.212-279-4200,
playwrightshorizons.org
1 hour 45
minutes, no intermission
Author: Anne
Washburn
Director:
Ken Rus Schmoll
Cast: Rob Campbell (Adrian ), Nat DeWolf (Len), Crystal Finn (Bama ), April Matthis (Liz ), Annie Parisse ( Nina ), Maria Striar (Ula)
Technical: scenic
design : Rachel Hauck, costume design: Jessica Pabst, lighting design: Tyler Micoleau,
sound design: Leah Gelpe, original music: Daniel Kluger.