Review: Engrossing, Disturbing WINNERS AND LOSERS at Woolly Mammoth

So you arrive at Woolly Mammoth and find yourself surrounded by board games, a mini-wheel of fortune, popular game sets ("Cards Against Humanity," the Millennial generation's favorite ice-breaker, features prominently). And if you look past the bar you might even spot the ping-pong table under the stairs. Cool, you think; we're in for a fun evening with this new show, harmlessly titled Winners and Losers.

An iPod provides a hip preshow soundtrack in the theatre proper, confirming your first impressions. Right on cue, two smartly-denimed Canadian dudes enter the Woolly Mammoth stage; it's completely bare, with the sole exception of a table and two chairs, and they proceed to mark out a finely-cut "playing area" with some chalk. Once the lights come down, we're treated to the sort of amiable, snarky chit-chat one associates with Comedy Channel, a sort of Great White North version of The Daily Show. ("Donald Trump - Winner or Loser?"). For the first 20 minutes or so the two performers, James Long and Marcus Youssef, skim the surface of American culture and even ask the audience for suggestions. So far, so good.

So ... why are these guys here at Woolly, and not some comedy club?

Because after luring us with the sort of "Canadian Nice" we expect from our northern neighbors, the pair's conversation lurches into darker territory; and then it goes into overdrive. Squirming in one's seat doesn't begin to describe it, because on a good night you're squirming in your heart as well. Even when the beer comes out (Yuengling Lager? nice choice), you realize you're a long, long way from "Strange Brew". Because suddenly competition is no longer about sports or current events; it's about life, and about your worth as a human being.

Long and Youssef have developed two sharply-defined characters for Winners and Losers; the show becomes a study in high contrasts, between Long's hard-scrabble teenage runaway and Youssef's wealthy, second-generation immigrant. Although they live practically around the corner from each other in Vancouver, British Columbia, and are both stage artists, the differences staged here cannot be starker.

As both of them readily admit, the competition to determine the "real" winner is emotionally draining to watch; so hard to watch, in fact, that colleagues worry about the effect this brand of soul-hockey might have on their own friendship. No two performances are the same, however, so it's just as likely that you'll come away from the next performance with a completely different final score, so to speak.

Long and Youssef's willingness to venture into this extremely personal territory is cathartic in a way that's hard for me to describe; cathartic but profound. Suffice it to say that on the night I attended, I was reminded of the yawning gap between the moneyed, good-hearted, liberal elite (Youssef) and the 'less fortunate' with which they sympathize (Long). Privilege, the dumb luck of being born on third base, creates a sense of obligation to offer a helping hand. But the same privilege that enables you also cripples your ability to be of any use to the folks you're trying to help. And that's assuming they even want your help to begin with.

Still, the beauty of their improvisatory format means that if you go tonight - and you really should! - their piercing dialogue may lead you in a completely different direction. It leads you to reflect a great deal more on the ways in which we stage our lives as cut-throat competitions, often without realizing it.

Running Time: 1 ½ hours.

ADVISORY: This production can feature frank language about intimate acts, and is not recommended for younger audiences.

Production Photo: Marcus Youssef (left) and James Long. Photo by Simon Hayter.

Performances of Winners and Losers run October 27 - November 22 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D Street NW, Washington DC.

Tickets can be ordered by calling 202-393-3939 or by visiting www.woollymammoth.net

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