BWW Reviews: LOST LAKE Wastes Excellent Acting on an Unbelievable Premise

Despite some interesting writing, excellent acting and a very fine production, David Auburn's two-person drama, Lost Lake, just ain't gonna work unless you can accept a pretty unbelievable premise.

Set in a dilapidating lakeside cabin (terrifically detailed work by J. Michael Griggs), the opening scene has Veronica, a widowed nurse with two children, negotiating the price of a week-long summer vacation with Hogan, who lives there except for times when he can find a summer lodger.

Hogan promises that necessary repairs will be made for both the cabin and the nearby swimming dock and while he seems a little weird - a bit too talkative and somewhat personal in his questions and comments - the guarded Veronica agrees because, being a black woman, she's had no luck finding another owner willing to rent to her.

When the week finally arrives, Veronica is furious to find the cabin a mess, the dock unsafe, hot water unavailable and the phone unreliable; the latter inconvenience providing a safety issue since there's no cell phone or internet access. Hogan isn't in a rush to fix everything because Veronica hasn't paid the last installment of her rent.

As directed by Daniel Sullivan, John Hawkes' Hogan is a stellar piece of work. Physically worn and grizzled, he's the sort of fellow who gives off a creepy vibe without any outward menace; but there's a consistent tension that makes you wonder exactly when he's going to explode.

So why does Veronica stay there, especially when she finds out that Hogan was kicked out of his brother's house and has been living nearby in his car and has been secretly lurking around just outside the cabin? Perhaps, as a nurse, she feels a need to try and help this troubled soul, but a reasonable person would be more concerned for her children.

In the less-flashy role, Traci Thoms' Veronica is a sturdy, compassionate presence and as we learn of the troubles she's going through it becomes clearer why she would feel a bond with Hogan.

Still, Auburn hasn't given her a good reason to stay in a room alone with the guy, beyond wanting the play to last more than twenty minutes.

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