Kurz, Gleason Sparkle in 'Sons of the Prophet'

Sons of the Prophet

Written by Stephen Karam, Directed by Peter DuBois; Scenic Design, Anna Louizos; Costume Design, Bobby Frederick Tilley II; Lighting Design, Japhy Weideman; Sound Design, M. L. Dogg; Production Stage Manager, Leslie Sears; Stage Manager, Kathryn Most

CAST: (in order of appearance) Joseph, Kelsey Kurz; Gloria, Joanna Gleason; Charles, Dan McCabe; Bill, Yusef Bulos; Dr. Manor/Ensemble, Dee Nelson; Timothy, Charles Socarides; Mrs. McAndrew/Ensemble, Lizbeth Mackay; Vin, Jonathan Louis Dent

Performances through May 1 at Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston; Box Office 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org

Commissioned and produced by special arrangement with Roundabout Theatre Company

Following months of hoopla, hype, and excited chatter, Stephen Karam's Sons of the Prophet opened at the Calderwood Pavilion Wednesday night and, I am happy to report, lived up to its advance billing. Huntington Theatre Company presents the world premiere that was commissioned by Roundabout Theatre Company (which will stage the play Off Broadway in the fall) under the direction of Artistic Director Peter DuBois and features a stellar cast, including Broadway veterans Kelsey Kurz, Joanna Gleason, and Yusef Bulos.

Karam is the wunderkind who wrote the acclaimed Speech and Debate, his 2007 comedy about three high school nerds which won a 2009 Elliot Norton Award for outstanding production at a mid-size company (Lyric Stage). With Sons of the Prophet, he explores more adult themes, yet builds on the foundation he established in his earlier play,  looking at pain and finding inventive ways to mine the humor in it. Each of his characters is suffering from psychic pain, physical pain, or both, and it is their pain that both draws them together and pulls them apart. Karam seamlessly intertwines multiple stories with great comedic effect.

The plot centers on two young, gay Lebanese-American brothers dealing with the death of their father as a result of a prank-gone-wrong in their small town of Nazareth, Pennsylvania. When the culprit turns out to be a star high school football player (Jonathan Louis Dent) and the judge decides to delay his punishment until after the season ends, the boys and their elderly paternal Uncle Bill (Bulos) each deal with the news in their own way. Joseph is also trying to nail down a diagnosis of an unknown ailment and is forced to work in an unfulfilling job for "a wealthy, deranged woman" in order to have health insurance.

Tony Award winner Joanna Gleason plays Gloria, the aforementioned employer who is a book packager hoping for a new start in Nazareth. She has fallen from grace more than once for publishing misrepresentations, has been widowed by her husband's suicide, and is estranged from her only son. Gleason gives a master class in comic timing and has a field day with her character's combination of quirkiness and depression. She commands the stage in each of her handful of scenes; I only wish she had the opportunity to steal more of them.

The national obsession with reality television and everyone having their fifteen minutes of fame comes into play when an attractive reporter (Charles Socarides) comes to town to cover the family's story. Gloria also wants to do a book about the events, playing up the Douaihy's distant connection with artist and writer Kahlil Gibran. While they are proud of their Lebanese heritage, they are also extremely private and unwilling to participate in the exploitation of their family. Karam's exposition on this struggle between going public or remaining private, media exploitation versus maintaining dignity, feels somewhat forced and muddy and would benefit from some clarification or being made less of an issue.

As much as Sons of the Prophet is the story of the Douaihy brothers, it is also a solid ensemble piece which benefits from strong performances across the board. As Joseph, the elder of the siblings, Kurz is entirely natural and charming, whether he is being the caretaker or the vulnerable one. He and Dan McCabe (as Charles) share a brotherly camaraderie that is spot on when they squabble, as well as when they band together. Their good humor is tested when Uncle Bill comes to live with them after their father's death and Karam gets a lot of mileage out of the threesome trying to co-exist. It is not beneath him to employ some bathroom humor, but it provides one of the best sight gags in the show. Bulos is a joy to watch as the fish out of water trying to hold on to the old ways and his independence, even as his nephews assimilate and bear his burden. 

As Timothy, the reporter, Socarides is challenged to balance two sides of the same coin, alternately being charming and dissembling, and is stronger as the former. He and Kurz have a nice, playful chemistry in their getting-to-know-you phase.  Dent displays an underlying sweetness and is credible as the athlete who feels remorse almost as much as he wants to play in the big game. Rounding out the ensemble are Dee Nelson, solid as Joseph's distracted doctor and the moderator of a public meeting, and Lizbeth Mackay as his warmhearted former kindergarten teacher who is still able to convey life lessons to a damaged young man.

Connecting the dots between the themes of the play and Gibran, Karam delineates his scenes with projected titles taken from The Prophet, such as "On Pain," "On Friendship," and "On Reason and Passion."  Anna Louizos has crafted several small, cozy set pieces, including Gloria's office, a hospital exam room, the Douaihy's living room, and a Greyhound bus depot. In addition, a couple of scenes within scenes utilize space above the main stage by shining a spot on one or two characters who are removed from the primary action. Insofar as it reduces the moving of set pieces and temporarily redirects focus, I think it works well. Japhy Weideman employs a variety of lighting designs to complement each locale.   

DuBois has worked with Karam on Sons of the Prophet since 2009 and refers to this run at the Calderwood as "the Boston tryout" before the play is produced at the Roundabout. While his direction is fast-paced, no laughs are lost in the shuffle, although some lines get swallowed up in the laughter. Maybe DuBois can slow it down a notch because with writing this good, we don't want to miss a word.

Photo credit: Paul Marotta (Jonathan Louis Dent, Dan McCabe, Kelsey Kurz, Yusef Bulos)

 

 

  

 

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