A Powerful Aphrodisiac

The story is, as they say, "ripped from the headlines." Some of it is even based on accepted facts. This much is true: a male politician's young female intern vanished. The politician admitted to having had an affair with his intern, but denied any involvement with her disappearance. More than a year later, the skeleton of the intern was found. The cause of her death remains unknown.

Of course, there's much more to the story than that. There are a thousand issues inherent to those few facts, each one more dramatic than the next: trust, betrayal, love, hope, naivete, and most of all, power. Aphrodisiac, a new drama by Rob Handel, suggests that the attraction between politicians and their subordinates is more about power and control than lust, much less love.

When their father's young intern vanishes without a trace, the two adult children of a minor congressman begin role-playing, imagining conversations between their father and the intern, other politicos and celebrities, and finally, between their parents and themselves. As their imaginations run rampant, a clear and horrifying picture begins to emerge of how the children view their father, the people in their father's life, and the government that controls them all.

With only two people on stage for almost every scene, Aphrodisiac seems to have an enormous cast, spun out of thin air by sheer force of will. As they role-play, the children make each person unique, making us see them as they see them. The brilliance is that we never actually see these characters; everything we know about them is hearsay. But by the power of Handle's writing, and the intensity of Jennifer Dundas' and Thomas Jay Ryan's performances, we come to feel sympathy, or at least some understanding, for them.

Handel's script provides some amazing material for Dundas and Ryan to chew on, and they bite with gusto. Alternating between staccato dialogue and monologues that go on for pages, the characters gradually reveal their relationships between themselves, their family, and the world around them. It never quite sounds natural, but never quite sounds unbelievably surreal– a nice balance on Handel's part. Ken Rus Schmoll's direction keeps pace with the script nicely, balancing the energy between the actors, and their characters' conflicting emotions.

When Aphrodisiac goes off track, however, it goes off big. A third character, another famous intern who survived her catastrophic affair with a high-ranking politician, appears to give the children a different perspective on the power (and passion) plays of government officials. While her point is certainly significant to the play, the scene goes on for far too long, and ultimately distracts from the overall intensity of the play. Worse than that, the old device of the deus ex machina does not fit in with the originality of the rest of the play. While Alison Weller's performance is certainly good, her monologue could be cut in half without losing its tastiest meat.

As a study in politics, a study of power, a study of obsession, a study of love, or even a simple study of incredibly intense performances, Aphrodisiac is certainly worth examining. Complex and frightening, the play is not always as effective as it could be, but is always interesting.

Aphrodisiac runs until 1/30/05 at 13P Collective at Downstairs Theater at P.S. 122, 150 First Avenue (at 9th Street). Call (212) 477-5288 for tickets ($15)