'The Understudy' Merits Top Billing

 

The Understudy

Written by Theresa Rebeck, Directed by Larry Coen, Scenic Design by Cristina Todesco, Costume Design by Emily Woods Hogue, Lighting Design by Frank Meissner, Jr., Sound Design/Original Music Composed by Arshan Gailus, Choreography by Yo-el Cassell, Production Stage Manager Maureen Lane, Assistant Stage Manager Amanda Ostrow

CAST: Christopher James Webb (Harry), Kelby T. Akin (Jake), Laura Latreille (Roxanne)

Performances through January 29 at The Lyric Stage Company of Boston                            Box Office 617-585-5678 or www.lyricstage.com

I love good writing and enjoy a juicy backstage drama; ergo I had a blast at The Lyric Stage Company's Boston premiere of The Understudy, Theresa Rebeck's play-within-a-play which debuted at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 2008. Lovingly directed by Larry Coen, one of the local theatre community's comic masters, The Understudy examines the hot button issue of celebrity casting on Broadway through the lens of an imaginary long-lost Franz Kafka masterpiece and tosses three complex characters in existential crises into the mash-up. The result is a realistic representation of the sturm und drang of the actor's life and a reminder of what they all do for love.

If that sounds woefully heavy and depressing, rest assured that this is a comedy, albeit with characters that face some underlying challenges and disappointments in their search for meaning, just like in real life. Harry (Christopher James Webb) is a trained "working actor" who, in order to earn a paycheck and be involved with an interesting project, has accepted the job as understudy to Jake (Kelby T.Akin), an action movie star hoping to be taken more seriously as an actor by performing in the Kafka play. Harry resents Jake's celebrity and astounding earning power, despite his seeming lack of talent, while the latter aspires to greater achievements and bigger grosses to boost his self-worth.

Working with them at this put-in rehearsal is Roxanne (Laura Latreille), the stage manager who used to be an actress before she decided she needed to make a living. When she discovers that her former fiancé is the understudy, she struggles to keep her own emotions in check, while refereeing the conflicts between Harry and Jake, and trying to coordinate stage directions with Laura, the unseen pothead in the booth at the controls of sets, sound, and lights. Out of exasperation and in order to make it perfectly clear to Harry that he is the low man on the totem pole, Roxanne labels Bruce (the unseen leading man) as Richard III, Jake as Henry V, and Harry as "Spear Carrier number seven." Hoping to avoid tragic consequences, her communications with Laura are a bit more delicate, but equally exasperated.

Harry and Jake balance their seesaw on Roxanne's fulcrum. The two men go back and forth with each other in a struggle to find meaning in the Kafka play and, ultimately, in their own lives. Roxanne has a responsibility to the production, and keeping Jake happy is of paramount importance. At the same time, she needs Harry's cooperation, but their unresolved past interferes with her professionalism. Latreille is masterful following the arc Rebeck draws for Roxanne; from her take charge, take no prisoners demeanor at the top of the rehearsal, through her momentary lapse when she recognizes Harry, to her frustration with the technical glitches, to her flirtatiousness with Jake, the actress takes on the persona of stage manager with incredible realism.

Webb shows great range in his portrayal of the bitter, less than successful understudy whose defense of his resumé betrays his insecurity. Harry knows he's a better actor than Jake, but has to bite his tongue to maintain his job, if not his self-respect, and Webb's expressive face and body language convey his struggle. He is a riot in a scene where Harry is trying to figure out how to find the humor in downing a drink, but he is equally impressive in the dramatic moments that offer insight into Harry's powerlessness and invisibility.

For the role of Jake, Akin must balance just the right amount of swagger with sensitivity and unexpected intelligence. Rebeck challenges Harry's and our stereotypical view of the action hero and Akin manages to convince us that Jake is much more than eye candy, despite the frequency with which he shows off his chiseled abs. His passion for the Kafka work and his disillusionment when events don't go his way are expressed in Akin's eyes loud and clear. At times, he is too huffy, but it blends in with Jake's personality.

As an ensemble, the actors share great chemistry, enhanced by Coen's dynamic blocking. When the three characters take each other's measure at the start of the rehearsal, they rotate around the center of the stage in an apprehensive dance, casting wary, sidelong glances across the uncomfortable space between them. As the play progresses, their discomfort as strangers dissipates, replaced by physical closeness and other forms of uneasiness. Coen effectively uses the Lyric's alleyways for entrances and exits, and situates Roxanne in a side section of the audience with her script for portions of the rehearsal.  

Cristina Todesco's design for the backstage area is sufficiently cluttered with set pieces and props, and the unbalanced quality of the red, black, and yellow optical illusion flooring serves as a visual metaphor for the interior lives of the characters. Costume Designer Emily Woods Hogue dresses Jake in a succession of body-hugging t-shirts to emphasize his physicality, while Harry's look is baggy and relaxed. Roxanne's knee-hi boots, tight denims, and headset imply her dominant role in the trio. Frank Meissner, Jr.'s lighting and Arshan Gailus' sound and music bring out the antics of the unseen and unpredictable Laura. Kudos to the real life stage manager Maureen Lane and her assistant Amanda Ostrow for making all the effects occur like clockwork.

In The Understudy, Rebeck continues her practice of writing three-dimensional characters who speak realistic dialogue that tells us who they are, as well as exposing the agenda of the playwright. Her plays often focus on show business topics and The Understudy follows suit, offering Rebeck's commentary on the Broadway zeitgeist. Coen and company get under the skin of Harry, Jake, and Roxanne and tell their stories as if they are their own. Perhaps they are.   

 

Photo credit: Mark S. Howard  

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