Review: FINDING NEIL PATRICK HARRIS at Nu Sass

Whether or not Edmund Gwenn (he played Santa in Miracle on 34th St.) verifiably said on his deathbed that dying is easy but comedy is hard doesn't change the truth, and Donna Hoke's ninety-minute play Finding Neil Patrick Harris proves it. Somewhat thoughtful nevertheless, Finding Neil Patrick Harris considers promises, friendship, competition, the nature of both comedy and happiness, along with the role that being a fan of a TV celebrity can have in a life. Staged by Nu Sass in its 30-seat space, the scene changes run the risk of exhausting the actors, but there really is nowhere to put a stagehand.

That said, Ileana Blustein and Aubri O'Connor's set begins as the lovely nail salon where O'Connor's Katie works with Selena Gill's Cha Cha. They're chalk and cheese, as the British say (apples v. oranges: not as much fun), squabbling rather than conversing. The versatile set changes into the home of one of their clients relatives, and later into the hotel in New York where the women go to find NPH. Hailey Laroe's lighting enhances the several monologues that Katie and Cha Cha have. These solos cleverly allow Hoke to reveal backstory and emotional depth which the ladies avoid sharing in their duets because squabbling is their way. And O'Connor and Gill relax during these set pieces, allowing their characters to just be for a few minutes before returning to the tensely constant sparring. Director Bess Kaye might have helped them emulate the two comic idols that Katie and Cha Cha agree on; Abbott and Costello never tried to defeat or surpass each other: the infield was the enemy (and now that Zim has retired and Tony Two-Bags has been traded, I really don't know who's on third). The comic secret of any double act (think A & C, Groucho & Chico, Laurel & Hardy, Nick & Nora, Hepburn & Tracy, George & Gracie, Rocket & Groot, Gallagher & Shean, Steve Martin & Martin Short, Oscar & Felix, R2 & Threepio) lies in the stability and equality of the partnership. Serious conflict swirls around not between them; they must be two sides of the same coin, as are Katie and Cha Cha.

Joshua Aaron Poole has the hang of it. He has to play at least four different people and doesn't have a hectic bone in his body. His performances constitute the oasis of calm that comedy requires. There's enough physical farce in Finding Neil Patrick Harris to put it in league with heavy hitters such as Noises Off and The Play that Goes Wrong. And. It. Is. Hard. O'Connor and Gill sometimes forget to breathe; it wouldn't spoil anything if the show ran five or even eight minutes longer.

Speaking of spoiling, this has been a "no spoilers" review. In the interest of not diminishing one single comic bit in Hoke's play (and there certainly are at least 3 per minute except during the monologues), this review has devoutly neglected referring to the plot. Nu Sass' production of Finding Neil Patrick Harris is fun and funny; don't take it from me. Take it from them, through June 9.

(Photo by Kayode Kendall)

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