Review: Questions of Gender, Identity and Politics fill Keegan Theatre's AN AMERICAN DAUGHTER

When Susan Marie Rhea defends her character's embattled nomination to become Surgeon General, she radiates with a steely resolve of wit and intelligence. And yet, we cannot help but be frustrated watching the play unfold, recognizing the media circus onstage as a familiar exercise in our fair city. The absurdity of political scandals, gender identity and self-expectations are fully explored in Keegan Theatre's superbly acted An American Daughter.

Rhea is giving one of the best performances of this spring and she's not to be missed. Nor are the stellar supporting performances of Lolita Marie, Timothy H. Lynch and Sheri S. Herren. As much as An American Daughter is framed by national events, it is also a family drama that finds its characters reexamining their lives and purposes.

Dr. Lyssa Dent Hughes (Rhea) is the president's nominee for Surgeon General. A staunch liberal who's political lineage dates back to Ulysses S. Grant and whose father is conservative Indiana Senator Alan Hughes (Lynch). By all accounts the nomination should be an easy confirmation. That is until a minuscule mistake from her past threatens to derail everything she's worked for.

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein proves herself an astute student of Washington with An American Daughter, down to affixing the suffix "gate" to the scandal's name. It's also clear that Wasserstein has a message to deliver about the expectations of men versus women in political life, and it's sharply delivered with an electric monologue by Rhea in Act Two. She's well-aided by Michael Innocenti's perfectly timed performance as cable-news gotcha journalist Timber Tucker. Brandon McCoy's well-paced direction has the scene crackle giving it maximum impact.

However, Act One's labored character development causes the play to suffer, with the character's motive for revealing the scandal coming off as murky. The best evidence of this is Slice Hicks' salty portrayal of family friend, Morrow McCarthy, a character whose agenda and rationale could be given greater clarity.

That being said, Act Two has the type of intensity and well-crafted performances that make this production soar. The beauty in Wasserstein's writing is in the play's themes. Regardless of your political identify or belief, the message being delivered is a universal one and Wasserstein doesn't shy away from its consequences.

In addition to Rhea's performance, the chemistry of the cast, particularly that of Rhea with Marie and Lynch is stellar. Marie portrays best friend Dr. Judith B. Kaufman with great insight and vulnerability. She, more than anyone else, understands Rhea's struggles and the connection between the two is immediate.

With Lynch's stately and dignified Senator Hughes, Wasserstein uses the character to showcase the sea change in the nation's capital. How scandal and trivial items dominate the agenda while policy debates are slowly being pushed aside. Nevertheless, Lynch effortlessly navigates Hughes' struggle on how best to assist his daughter while also saving his own career

Sheri Herren portrays Hughes' fourth wife, Charlotte, a character who is easy to write-off. Nevertheless, Herren is given a brief, yet, consequential moment with Rhea in Act Two, where she skillfully unveils her character's motives. It's a small but powerful moment.

Three characters suffer the most from Wasserstein's flawed character development: the aforementioned Hicks, feminist-writer Quincy Quince (Brianna Letourneau) and Hughes' sociologist husband Walter Abrahmson (Mark Alan Rhea). Of the three, Letourneau gives the best performance. What prevents it from succeeding is the philosophical baggage/identity given to her character by Wasserstein. While her personal agenda is clear, her political identity and beliefs seem overly contrived and obscure.

Rhea gives an underwhelming performance as Walter. Lacking charisma and passion, it's hard to see how Hughes could have fallen for him. Even when he tries being sweet, it comes off as stiff and rigid.

Colin Dieck's lighting design excels at accentuating the production's intimate moments, especially in Act II's interview scene. Set in Hughes' comfortable Georgetown home during the nineties, Matthew J. Keenan's production design prominently features a picture of former First Lady Julia Grant over the fireplace. McCoy uses the portrait as a source of comfort for Rhea's Hughes during the trials and tribulations of the nomination battle.

Washington seems to be going thru a Wasserstein renaissance this year with Theater J having recently concluded a run of The Sisters Rosensweig and now with An American Daughter at Keegan. As the United States is on the verge of nominating the first female from a major political party as president, Wasserstein's exploration of women in public service is as relevant now as it was when the play first opened on Broadway in 1997.

Runtime: Two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.

Photo: Brianna Letourneau, Mark A. Rhea, Susan Marie Rhea, Timothy Lynch & Michael Innocenti. Credit: Cameron Whitman.

An American Daughter runs thru May 28th at Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St NW, Washington, DC 20036. For more information and tickets, please call (202) 265-3767 or please click here.

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