Reverse Transcription

 Reverse Transcription
PTP/NYC (Potomac Theatre Project)
Atlantic Theater – Stage 2
July 6, 2022 

Photo courtesy of PTP/NYC

The Potomac Theatre Project (PTP/NYC) production of Reverse Transcription is a moving pair of one-act plays.  The Dog Plays written by Robert Chesley during the AIDS epidemic is responded to by A Variant Strain, written by Jonathan Adler and Jim Petosa about the Covid pandemic.  The juxtaposition of these two works invites comparison of both the response to these two crises and the lessons learned.  Director Jim Petosa masterfully empowers his talented cast of skilled actors to take the audience on a journey into deep introspection, giving them a new perspective, and building their courage to move forward.

In The Dog Plays, Dog (played by James Patrick Nelson) notices Buck (played by Joshua Mallin) in a San Francisco bar.  Dog thinks Buck is a ghost, or at least someone who should be dead.  Dog shows his lesions and reveals he has AIDS.  When Buck approaches Dog, he forces him to look at him and admit their connection.  We next meet Fido (played by Jonathan Tindle).  When he goes for a walk, he notices his friend Rover’s name on a headstone.  He is hit with the truth that his friend has passed.  Dog visits the grave, and reminisces with Fido, who consoles him over his loss.  Later, we meet Lad (played by Trey Atkins), who tells Dog of his trip up north.  Dog repeats a more realistic version of the story back to him.  Lad is dying of AIDS.  He tells Dog to look up at the stars and feel the connection. 

In A Variant Strain, we meet New Dog (played by Francis Price).  He is struggling with the need to feel connected during the Covid pandemic.  He arranges a hook up online, and meets Dog, who challenges him to take a close look at himself.  We then meet Fido (played by Ryan Kirby), a nurse on his break at a hospital.  As he walks by a memorial honoring deceased Covid patients, he meets New Dog, also a nurse on his break.  They notice a picture of Dog among the photos on the memorial.  They are mesmerized by his eyes.  They both knew him as a survivor of AIDS, and now learn he has passed due to Covid.  They wonder about his story.  In the next scene, Dog visits New Dog to teach him to look at the stars and feel connected. 

James Patrick Nelson & Trey Atkins
Photo courtesy of PTP/NYC

Playwright Jonathan Adler and Jim Petosa crafted A Variant Strain to bring the character of Dog into the present day.  The style and structure of this work runs parallel to that of Robert Chesley’s The Dog Plays, so they flow with ease.  James Patrick Nelson brilliantly bridges these two works by extending the arc of Dog’s character through three decades.  He brings a sense of reality to the “ghosts” in both pieces, so the audience engages in seamless action.  Mr. Nelson’s bond and chemistry with Trey Atkins (Lad in The Dog Plays) and Francis Price (New Dog in A Variant Strain) are potent and equally significant.  These three actors succinctly deliver the vital message of finding healing through connection. 

Ryan Kirby delivers a light-hearted character with Fido in A Variant Strain.  This is a much needed relief, a chance to smile.  He then pulls the audience right back into the dark reality of the moment, as his character returns to work.  This same effect is realized by Jonathan Tindle, who plays Fido in The Dog Plays.  These two actors are genuine and effective.  Their characters offer a respite to the audience, calming us, then delivering us back to the truths of the time with a different viewpoint.   

The scene between Joshua Mallin (Buck) and James Patrick Nelson (Dog) in The Dog Plays is controlling and intense.  Both actors push to achieve their character’s selfish objectives.  It is a visceral portrayal with a powerful impact.

The pairing of these two one-act plays in ReverseTranscription is relevant, stimulating, and vital in our understanding of how we need to connect to survive.  This PTP/NYC production is playing in rep with Sex, Grift, and Death at Atlantic Theater – Stage 2 (on W. 16 St.) through July 31.  

Domenick Danza