BWW Reviews: City Theater's TIME STANDS STILL Looks at Relationship and War Casualties

City Theater launches its 2011-2012 season with the compelling TIME STANDS STILL, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies.

Set in Brooklyn, this Tony-nominated ensemble piece begins with the return home of renowned photojournalist Sarah, injured and facially disfigured by a roadside bomb in Iraq. James, her boyfriend and fellow journalist, is guilt-ridden from leaving Sarah alone in Iraq after suffering his own battle induced breakdown. As the couple struggles to reconnect, they receive a visit from Sarah's photo editor and one-time lover, Richard, and his perky new and much-junior girlfriend Mandy -- of whom Sarah cynically quips, "There's young, and there's embryonic."

As the play unfolds, watching Sarah and James' attempt to re-acclimate themselves to a more conventional life and reclaim their past relationship is often painful. While both James and Sarah struggle with the horrors of war that they have witnessed, they find themselves at odds; James wants to forget the gore of the past and move on, but as time passes, we learn that, despite the horrific scenes that Sarah has recorded through her camera lens, creating these images and recording these moments in time is something that she ultimately cannot let go. In response to Mandy calling her war photos beautiful, Sarah replies, "You can call them beautiful, I think they're beautiful. But I'm their mother."

Angela Reed portrays Sarah as strong, a bit cynical, with a quick wit, but somehow always giving the impression that she's keeping her emotions bottled up inside. That's not to say that emotions between Sarah and James (City Theater veteran Andrew Dodd) don't run high. Sarah's revealed affair with her Iraqi guide is one of a number of emotional explosions that eventually dismantle her relationship with James.

Sarah and James' interactions with friends Richard and his eternally effervescent girlfriend Mandy provide both comic relief and unexpected poignancy. Robin Abramson's Mandy, who is clearly not on the same intellectual plane, nonetheless delivers some of the piece's most touching moments. Additionally, her bright attire, her eternal chattiness, her relationship with Richard - a journalist, but an 'office' man, and even her pregnancy are in strong contrast to Sarah and James' non-traditional lifestyle and career choices, creating an interesting and obvious sometimes-comedic friction.

In addition to the exploring the evolution of the relationships of these two very different couples, throughout this piece Margulies also raises questions relevant to current events regarding the moral decisions made by war photojournalists, who witness atrocities in war zones and record those moments on film.

Directed by Tracy Brigden, scenic design by Tony Ferrieri, costume design by Robert C T Steele, lighting design by Ann Wrightson.

TIME STANDS STILL runs now through November 6 at City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street on Pittsburgh's South Side www.citytheatrecompany.org (412) 431-4400.

Photos by Suellen Fitzsimmons.

 

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