BWW Reviews: Amy Herzog's Sweet 4,000 MILES Resonates at Sierra Madre

4000 Miles/by Amy Herzog/directed by Christian Lebano/Sierra Madre Playhouse/through November 8

Amy Herzog's Pulitzer-Prize nominated 4,000 Miles explores a most difficult relationship between a grandmother of 90 and her grandson some seventy years her junior. That gap in age is very wide like the distance of 4,000 miles from Seattle, Washington to New York City which Leo (Christian Prentice) covers by bicycle. Long journeys of any type involve struggles as well as rewards, and the play is a sweet optimistic look at how two very different people can change each other for the better. Now in its LA premiere 4,000 Miles is onstage at the Sierra Madre Playhouse in an endearing and richly detailed production directed lovingly by Christian Lebano and featuring a dynamite cast of four actors.

Leo arrives at Vera's (Mimi Cozzens) Manhattan apartment at 3 am, startling her with a surprise visit. A hippie type, Leo left his estranged family behind to bicycle across country with his close friend Mica, who dies in a tragic accident en route... a fact we do not learn until much later in the play. On arrival, Leo is broke, needing a place to stay, and Vera - her second husband Joe, Leo's grandfather died some 12 years earlier - lives isolated with Joe's nameplate still on the bell and with a daily phone call to a neighbor Ginny across the hall as her primary communication to the outside world, except the occasional call to Leo's mother and a couple of other relatives. Her politics were progressive, her husband wrote about Marx and communism, and her fierce independence is still a vibrant part of her eccentric charm. Leo has a girlfriend Bec (Alexandra Wright), a student who lives in the city, but with whom he has had a strained relationship. Thus, he is troubled and in need of guidance, as well as a shoulder to try on. Can a 90 year-old woman give him the comfort, support and help that he needs to move forward with his life? And can he change a stubborn old lady who still uses the yellow pages? This is the crux of 4, 000 Miles, which is played out with delicious humor and unpredictable behavior from both Leo and Vera as they try not to interfere too much with each other's patterns, but who cannot help but annoy and aggravate one another over the course of Leo's three week stay.

In an awkward progression of daily incidents, we gradually meet Bec and another gal Leo picks up for a one-night stand, Amanda (Susane Lee), who makes a quick exit when she learns of his background involving interest in communism. These dates are obstacles to Vera's circle of attention, but little by little she becomes more open and trusting, as does Leo. She puts her name on the doorbell; Leo confides the horrorific account of Mica's death on the otherwise pleasant journey to New York... which has left him devastated and lost. We also learn of an incident where Leo kissed his adopted sister Lilly back in Seattle, something that left his parents infuriated. This lends proof of the clash between his conservative family values and his own radical yet open and loving convictions, obviously more in line with Vera's... and which bring them closer together. One of the funniest scenes, which I will call the 'pot smoking scene', has both grandma and grandson letting their hair down and confessing, especially Vera, a few intimate secrets.

Awkward and offbeat moments and the humor that emanates from them make Herzog's play truly joyful and engaging. Director Lebano has given his actors enough space and freedom to dig deep into these precious characters to find just the right connections. Both Cozzens and Prentice give heartfelt performances, hers tender and warm laced with feisty truth and humor, his with an indomitable spirit. Wright is honest and likable in a tough, complicated role. Lee is hysterically funny in one scene, making Amanda kooky and delightfully unforgettable. John Vertrees' set design of the Manhattan apartment is spot.on.

I must admit I liked the ending to the play. Instead of a final goodbye, Herzog has Vera helping Leo create a eulogy for a funeral...each still very concerned about the other. What we are left with is not maudlin but totally uplifting.

4,000 Miles is a wonderfully touching play that gives everyone, regardless of age or nationality, the hope they need in order to follow through with life's purpose. Its texture is sometimes subtle but clearly an American original all the way. Bravo to Lebano and to Sierra Madre for a truly outstanding production!

http://sierramadreplayhouse.org/playhouse/

To post a comment, you must register and login.