Nancy Manocherian's new play Guilty opens with the funeral of a dog, a completely arbitrary excuse to get all the characters onstage together. This is typical of most of the rather amateurish and confusing script- the characters don't seem to have much feeling for each other, or even very much in common. Much of the action happens offstage, including the leading character's infidelity. Though the characters talk and talk, I didn't understand anyone's motivation. Plot points are raised and then dropped again without any real closure (I hesitate to call them Red Herrings, since I didn't think they were intentional or, for that matter, interesting). There is a reprise of a song before the audience has actually heard the full song(!). Though one of the characters is described as a wanna-be fashion plate who copies her looks from the fashion pages, nearly all of her costumes are HIDEOUS. And worst of all, nothing much happens except angst-ridden folks talking.
The synopsis of the play says that it's about a group of friends in the "top echelon of New York society" whose lives unravel when one of them is indicted for fraud. The fraudulent activity is offstage before the play starts, and after the first scene is really only spoken of at any length by the wife of the fraudulent friend, who never comes onstage himself (he being, variously, in rehab or jail- this was also confusing as to what was going on or why we should care). Additionally, there's very little that's specifically New York about this play- aside from the fact that one of the women claims to be bi-coastal (because she's been having an affair in California for 15 years), there's nothing in the script to really set the stage in New York- in fact, with all the large homes, open spaces, grass, and kayaking that goes on, the play feels distinctly suburban. Other writers have done the "malaise amongst the beautiful people" schtick before, and done it much better and were wittier about it.
Though the script needs lots of work, the actors at least are good and do what they can with the material. When a one-liner is actually funny, they nail it, and the audience responds appropriately.
Charles Ludlam once said of Zoe Caldwell in a review "...(she) is a jewel, but acting this play she is a jewel in a dung setting". This was just how I felt about the wonderful Glory Gallo, who shines as Dori, the play's emotional core character. Despite the leaden dialogue and unmotivated action, she is consistently fascinating to watch. A scene where she's alone onstage talking to herself in the mirror is a revelation, though it's in an entirely different style than the rest of the show.
Mary Ann Conk is clearly a wonderful character actress in desperate need of some funny lines to speak; since she gets few of them here, she's merely quirky.
Tracee Chimo plays perhaps the most bipolar teenager ever- she commits with aplomb to whatever insane situation her character is in at any given moment, whether it's yelling at her mother, running around in a skimpy bikini, recovering from a suicide attempt, or doing unmotivated gymnastics while the adults talk.
Heather Kenzie is very pretty and earnest as Laura, though she has the unenviable task of playing a scene with some of the most awkward staging ever, where she's wild, wanton, and topless while never exposing a breast to the audience (there was a warning of nudity- are we to be frightened of or titillated by her back?).
The men fare slightly worse, as the characters are even more weakly written than the females. Emmy-award winner
Darnell Williams is as charming as necessary in what is a rather thankless and boringly written "husband of the lead" role.
Ned Massey's Jake is a snarky frat boy who never grew up, and he plays that pitch-perfectly till his character's ignominious end. Mr. Massey also wrote the horrifyingly catchy music for his character's song "Hey, it's Gonna be Great" (the audience discovers about halfway through the play that Jake is (used to be?) a rock star). I've still got the damn tune stuck in my head.
The sound design by Ken Hypes is incredible; a scene with the characters playing pool is perfect, the sound coinciding perfectly with the mime.
Scenic Design by Tim McMath was good and evocative, though confusingly cluttered in some ways, while being perfectly compact and economical in others.
GUILTY
Sex, Lies... and Botox. White-collar crime never looked so good.July 1 – July 29
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8pm
Matinees Saturdays at 3pm and Sundays at 3pm
The Acorn at Theater Row ( 410 W 42nd Street between 9th and 10th)
Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission
Tickets are $35 and are available via thecelltheatre.org
Or by phone 212-279-4200
Photos of the cast of Guilty by Monique Carboni
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