"This is kind of a weird play. I'll show you what I mean," offers Bernard (Brian Hutchison), the character who opens David Greenspan's Go Back To Where You Are with a nostalgic monologue about childhood summers at a family Long Island beach house that sets a tone somewhat akin to that of a Tennessee Williams memory play.
But suddenly, on Bernard's cue, we're witnessing an exchange between God (Tim Hopper) and Passalus (the author, Greenspan), a demon from Hell who spent his mortal years as a chorus boy in Ancient Athens. And while the heightened language of their brief scene suggests Greek drama, the play is primarily Chekhovian, with its rural setting and emotionally simmering ensemble of characters, though the gossipy dialogue often seems ripped from a Michael Musto column by way of Eugene O'Neill's Strange Interlude.
Passalus has the opportunity to free himself from eternal suffering if he can guide the future of a woman named Carolyn on a more positive path. But we never see Carolyn, though everyone talks about her. And he must accomplish the feat without in any way affecting the lives of anyone else, which becomes more and more difficult as, while taking the form of an aging British actress, he begins feeling emotions he hasn't experienced in thousands of years; compassion, empathy and love.
His never-present potential beneficiary is hosting family and friends at her own beach house to celebrate her birthday. Carolyn's mother, Claire (Lisa Banes), is a successful Broadway actress growing aware that her days of choice roles are dwindling as she prepares to begin rehearsals for The Seagull, while her good friend, Charlotte (Mariann Mayberry), has difficulty getting work in New York and is unenthused about her upcoming stint in a Cleveland production of Annie. Banes' mercilessly biting deadpan elegance and Mayberry's comedic desperation ("I'm just acting for health insurance these days!") not only make for outstanding individual contributions, but bounce off of each other wonderfully. Bernard is Claire's brother, a playwright who teaches for a living, and it seems his students have more success getting their work done than he does. Hutchison gives him a soft, self-effacing awkwardness that is very endearing.
When the other guests arrive - Claire's television writer son, Wally (Michael Izquierdo), her Seagull director, Tom (Stephen Bogardus) and his set designer partner Malcolm (Hopper) - it eventually becomes clear that everyone present is suffering from some kind of personal loss or professional disappointment, despite their carefree, witty chatter. It also becomes clear that each of them has some degree of awareness that they're in a play, judging from lines like, "There's been some erosion on the cliffs... I wonder if that means something about us. Erosion. Probably not," and "I bet there is no Carolyn - or at least she won't appear in the play."
Director Leigh Silverman handles all of the weirdness with a light, understated hand and her graceful ensemble keeps the brisk seventy-minute affair both charming and touching.
Photos by Joan Marcus: Top: David Greenspan and Brian Hutchison; Bottom: Lisa Banes and Mariann Mayberry.
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