Fringe ReviewLondon Reviews July-December 2009Women of ManhattanGenre:
Venue: The Old Red Lion TheatreLow DownWomen of Manhattan touches on the universal themes of love, loss and getting laid. Brutally honest, the play reveals that behind the gloss and high heels, the big city disappoints just as quickly as it rewards. Review
The phenomenon of fag hags and twentieth century women juggling flourishing careers with the quest to secure a suitable life partner are surely trademark phrases connected to the global brand that is Sex in the City. However, in 1986 John Patrick Shanley, creator of the award winning Doubt (Pulitzer) and Moonstruck (Oscar), penned a one-act piece of theatre that might as well be recognised as its forerunner since not just the eerily similar musical interludes share a common theme. Tackling the ups and downs and often unforgiving pace of modern day Manhattan lifestyle, this show combines witty wisecracks with dramatic confessions and pin points some admittedly cliché but mostly truthful instances concerning the contemporary man/woman psyche.
Delivering all its goods in one hour and a bit, we are offered a diverse assortment of New York residents in their thirties ranging from the seemingly happily married financially spoilt Billie to shallow Executive player Duke, to brittle career woman and gay magnet Judy. The setting of the piece at the Old Red Lion (shockingly, an air conditioned room above a pub in Islington) is well lit and suitably eclectic and edgy, combining square white pieces of stark furniture with the occasional solitary blotches of strong colour. All that is missing to make us feel like we are completely residing on the Upper West Side are a couple of lava lamps.
Ironically, the starkness set also mirrors the rather two-dimensional result of some of the writing. A series of sketches (with some dialogue grating in its effort to remain continuously amusing) rather than a piece with a through-storyline, Shanley spends a lot of time at the beginning developing characters that are then not fully executed at the end as the climax feels rushed and abrupt. We feel left hanging as it is unclear whether a black eye from her husband will keep Billie’s extracurricular affairs at bay or whether Judy and Duke will work together for a combined future rather than merely fulfilling a moment of much needed physical and emotional passion as passing ships in the night. Only Rhonda-Louise seems to come full circle, her final confession making her the most complete and rounded-off persona out of this set of five.
The actors are generally well cast although some accents occasionally go astray and wander from General American through to parts of rural England and finally back to the required New York drawl. Clara Perez physically resembles a young Andie McDowell and is well suited to the part of the rather withdrawn Rhonda-Louise. She manages to make us believe she is perfectly at ease delivering long monologues on rather uncomfortable looking white box chairs finding a remarkable variety of perching positions adorning a tiny dress while successfully managing to keep her modesty.
Kosha Engler as Judy comes into her own in the second half of the play displaying just the right amount of brashness without becoming a caricature. It is easy to see why Victor Perez was cast as the dashing Duke and he delivers in all aspects however, I felt his intimate conversational style might be more suited to the genre of film and Television. Sean McConaghy sketches a convincing portray of a confused husband unaware of his wife’s true wants and needs, complemented by Lisa Jedan parading well as the happy spouse all too competent at living out the illusion.
While the actors manage to knit together many faults in the writing due to the steady emotional connections they have created with each other, the piece remains bitty. That said; if you are a fan of this particular type of City-époque human voyeurism then Women in Manhattan and its sitcom style should be right up your street.
Reviewed by Jennifer Reischel Tuesday 20 October - Saturday 7 November Website : |
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