Infinite Life

 Infinite Life
Atlantic Theater Company
Linda Gross Theater
September  2, 2023 

Photo courtesy fo Atlantic Theater Company

Annie Baker’s’ Infinite Life draws the audience in on the private and penetrating journey of six characters.  The Atlantic Theater Company production, directed by James Macdonald, is fully absorbing.  As the characters avoid connection, they unwillingly peel away their layers.  You hang on to every moment, waiting for the next detail to be revealed, which pulls you in even further.  The partnership between Ms. Baker and Mr. Macdonald on this production is exceptionally effective.  This play is riveting.  

Christina Kirk as Sofi
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

Sofi (played by Christina Kirk) is sitting on a terrace lounge chair, reading.  Eileen (played by Marylouise Burke) enters, and silently sits on another lounge chair.  Eileen interrupts Sofi’s reading to introduce herself.  Eileen is on day three.  Sofi is on day one.  They are residents of a healing retreat.  They fast under doctor’s supervision to release toxins and manage pain associated with their illness.  Elaine (played by Brenda Pressley) and Ginnie (played by Kristine Nielsen) enter and take their seats on the empty lounge chairs.  The conversation centers around their ailments, pain, and treatment.  When Yvette (played by Mia Katigbak) enters, she tells the long story of her list of ailments, which finally gets Sofi talking.  Sofi can relate to Yvette’s illnesses and pain.  Sofi spends sleepless nights awake on the terrace, pacing, texting, and leaving messages for either her husband or her intimate work friend.  She tells Nelson (played by Pete Simpson) about her relationship with these two men one night when they are both unable to sleep.  Nelson is the only male patient at the retreat.  He is suffering through his second round with colon cancer.

Pete Simpson as Nelson
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

When Nelson appears, the rhythm and pace of the setting is disturbed.  He is a little more aggressive than the women.  A little more in need of attention, while remaining solitary.  Pete Simpson plays this all with tender encroachment, due to the excruciating pain from his illness.  The scene between him and Ms. Kirk (Sofi) is filled with sexual tension that the characters are both eager and reluctant to engage in.  These two actors delicately play that scene with remarkable poise and control.         

The more each character avoids contact with one another, the more we understand their story.  The distance between the characters is more revealing than anything they share.  The final scene is between Sofi and Eileen, as is the initial scene of the play.  They talk about what they feel they need for the pain to go away.  They connect.  They talk about their spiritual beliefs.  They share their hopes, fears, and secrets.  Christina Kirk and Marylouise Burke play this scene calmly and genuinely.  The rhythm shifts.  There is no joy or revelation, only truth and connection.  For a moment it is as if there is no pain. Then the light go to black. 

Kristine Nielsen & Brenda Pressley
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Theater Company

Playwright Annie Baker skillfully leaves a trail of information about all the characters.  We piece the
stories together by nibbling on the small crumbs they each drop.  Most of the action centers around the character of Sofi.  Christian Kirk delivers an intriguing performance in this role.  The importance of the events of her life is made clear by the subtle and nonchalant way she reveals them.  Marylouise Burke, Brenda Pressley, Kristine Nielsen, and Mia Katigbak lure the audience into listening carefully to every component of their lives and experiences.  The audience feels each moment of their reaction time, and watch the pace of their movements.  Director James Macdonald masterfully orchestrates these fine actors through the elusive moments of Ms. Baker’s spellbinding writing.  

The pace is slow and steady throughout the piece, much like the enduring pain these characters carry every day.  The passage of time is announced by Sofi, first hour by hour, then day by day.  It is deliberate and anguishing.  Once the audience catches on to the steady flow of time, it is simply signified by lighting changes. 

Infinite Life is playing at Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater through October 8.  It is an intimately intense journey, and will leave you with much to think about.    

Domenick Danza