The play unfolds in ninety minutes, recapping a stretch of roughly 24 hours. Alan Moore said it best in his Mustard Magazine interview: “Life isn’t divided into genres. It’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you’re lucky.” Minus the science fiction and cowboys, this encapsulates the heart of the show. We see a comic, dramatic, tragic riddle of a story that is an engrossing slice of life.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Josh Windhausen’s set: it’s an empty stage, but for two chairs and several walls covered in random numbers and letters. At first I found it distracting; but by the end I realized why they were there. It was the same reason I was watching the characters in the first place: I was getting to know them. Through their story, I made connections and associations with my own life. It transformed the stage.
Part of the show’s appeal is in the subtle but effective lighting design, allowing one empty stage to become a car, an apartment, a fast food restaurant, an ICU ward. This can be attributed to Taryn L. Kennedy. Slight shifts from scene to scene keep us moving briskly through the story.
Connor and Jacoby performed very well together. There was a definite balance to their work; each playing off the other’s strengths. It was clear from the start they were brothers, despite sharing nothing apparent in common. Rich is loud and outspoken, Sam is intelligent and independent. They’re irritated by the same things, but coming from opposite sides.
This show, running through April 10th, will conclude the Clockwork Theatre’s fifth season. Tickets can be obtained through www.ticketcentral.com, or by calling 212-279-4200. It’s a truly superb show that you should make time to go see… It will be money well-spent.
