Review: MR. PARKER at Dezart Performs

Death tends to affect those who remain differently. Some take time to grieve, then march boldly forward, while others live in purgatory, their grief so overwhelming they only function within the pain of their loss. Mr. Parker by Michael McKeever is very much about just that - as was Daniel’s Husband, but while Daniel’s Husband left us with tears and broken hearts, Mr. Parker gives us hope for life after loss, as well as a lot of laughs which is a great analgesic when exploring deep emotions.

We open in Jeffrey’s loft studio, the deceased husband of Terry Parker (David Pevsner) sitting on an open sofa bed, the large skylight above him heralding a bright new day. But Terry is just the opposite of the sun shining on him. He’s not dealing with the loss of Jeffrey well, he’s having trouble moving on. His husband was a superstar in the art world, and being his spouse defined Terry, he doesn’t know who he is now. Jeffrey was taken too soon, in a car accident. 

McKeever seems to be fond of monologues, and while it worked in Daniel’s Husband this opening monologue is more of a prologue, all backstory. Add to that it's mopey. All of this information is revealed later within the action of the play. In my opinion, prologues only belong in plays where you need to understand the historical significance, and the facts surrounding an event that without we would be lost.  Unless you are a wee child, you understand loss and grief. While Pevsner does a good job with it, it was, in my opinion, unnecessary.  What it does do is makes us incredibly grateful for the appearance of Justin (Nick Giedris), a 28-year old bartender slash Uber driver that 54-year old Terry picked up the previous night.

Justin (or Kevin, as Terry keeps calling him) is a bubbly guy, and seemingly infatuated with Terry. And the sex, Kevin-Justin proclaims, was phenomenal. Who wouldn’t be drawn to that kind of energy? Giedris’s Justin is energetic, charming and talks non-stop, making it easy for Terry to not be solely in his head with his grief, and he dives in with full abandon, genitals first. 

Unfortunately, that means he’s not carrying out his daily obligations, and Jeffrey’s sister, Cassie (Marsha Mercant) keeps showing up to remind him of that. Specifically, the showing of Jeffrey’s art that The Whitney wants to mount, but Terry keeps putting off. his obligations to make it happen.

Although the play is about Mr. Parker, one of the fun things about it is trying to characterize who Justin is, and just why he’s so enamored with this sad older man. Is he just a free spirit who likes fine dining, sex, and spouting historical facts about New York City? Does he have real feelings for Terry? Is he one of those people that loves a project person? Or is he looking for a sugar daddy? In the end, it doesn’t really matter, the play isn’t about him, but Giedris does such a great job being a charming young siren that we still wonder what his deal is long after the lights have gone down.

Terry wanders in and out of his own story, and while Pevsner is very good in the role, he never seems to quite land in the moment until, ostensibly, the end. Randy Brenner’s direction keeps him more as an observer of his own life, which - in retrospect - is a clever ploy. Terry isn’t living in his own life, he’s living in the wake of his partner’s death, and even then, he’s doing his best not to participate in what that means. Brenner's direction and Pevsner's commitment to it was an interesting interpretation, one that works.

Cassie is the voice of reason in the play, and Mercant does a terrific job of being the strong, mince-no-words sister-in-law to Terry. She has always been the one that handled Jeffrey’s affairs, and when he married Terry 30 years ago, he became part of her life too. She never forgets Terry’s pain while also attempting to lure him back into the present. 

Rick Bluhm's set is terrific. A well-heeled loft studio that also lives in the past, just like Terry. Together with lighting designer Mariah Pryor they created the very cool effect of a skylight, adding to the loft feel. We’re used to this kind of attention to detail with Dezart productions, and it always is worth mentioning.

Shout out to costumer Emma Bibo who paid attention to detail with each costume fitting to the characters. The first outfit she put on Mercant told us exactly who she is, and I want one.

The show is sold out, so if you didn’t get a ticket a few months ago, you’re SOL, but ticket holders will not be disappointed by this very good  production by Dezart Performs, their final of the 23/24 season. It's a really solid piece of work by the entire cast and crew in a play that offers a step out of the purgatory brought on by the death of a loved one, and showing us there is a passage back into the world of the living by actually living.

https://dezartperforms.org/

Producers: Michael Shaw, Clark Duggar

Director: Randy Brenner

Cast:

Terry Parker: David Pevsner

Justin: Nick Giegris

Cassie: Marsha Mercant

Technicals:

Set Design: Rick Bluhm

Light Design: Mariah Pryor

Costume Design: Emma Bibo

Prop Master: Edward Anguilano

Technical Director: Tom O’Brien

Production Stage Manager: Paul James Tenaglia

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