A Parallelogram
Second Stage Theater
Tony Kiser Theater
August 18, 2017
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| Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater |
In
his play A Parallelogram, Bruce
Norris asks the questions: If you are able to go back and live your life over
again, knowing how it will turn out, would you do it? There are a lot of complex issues to
contemplate in a decision like this. His
play, while delivering a lot of laughs, considers them all, and also looks at
the probability of affecting a different outcome if you have the courage to
change your actions.
Bee
(played by Celia Keenan-Bolger) is in the middle of a heated discussion with
her boyfriend Jay (played by Stephen Kunken), when the woman she met at the
grocery store earlier that day (played by Anita Gillette) pushes a button on
her remote and rewinds the scene so Bee can relive it. She does this a few times until Bee is
satisfied with her participation in the discussion. The woman explains to Bee the science behind
the phenomenon. She then reveals to the
audience that she is from the future, when most of the population of the world
dies off from a mysterious illness. She
does not. She is Bee in the future. She is able to tell Bee the outcome of her experiences. The remote (a parallelogram) offers Bee the
opportunity to move backwards and forwards in time to assess her choices and
possible change her behavior. Will any
of this effect the final outcome?
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| Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater |
Celia
Keenan-Bolger portrays Bee rationally and logically, allowing for the
transitions in time to be realistic and believable. Her character is driven by and inquisitive
desire to understand how her actions can improve the future. She challenges the rules of the parallelogram
as set up by her older self, and keeps the action flowing forward with her
determination. Anita Gillette is
beguiling, direct, and funny as Bee's older self. Her monologues are full of information needed
to understand the context of the story.
She delivers them with charm, energy and delight, keeping the audience
engaged as the complex layers of the story unfold. Since Bee’s boyfriend is not in the know of
the phenomenon, Stephen Kunken plays Jay as the straight man for most of the jokes,
setting up and following through with the situational humor keenly established
by Ms. Bolger and Ms. Gillette. He does
not miss a beat. His comic timing and physicality
is spot on.
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| Celia Keenan-Bolger & Anita Gillette Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theater |
The
set, designed by Rachel Hauck, is a realistic rendition of two interior
locations. What makes it spectacular is
the way they move into place. At the
push of a button, the stage right and left walls smoothly spin and the upstage
wall moves forward, then back again.
This, along with lighting design by Kenneth Posner and sound design by
Matt Tierney, creates the swift flow the story line requires in order to be
credible and engaging.
Mr.
Norris’ play is very well constructed and keeps you thinking throughout. The direction by Michael Greif keeps the
action tightly focused on the details that make the show work. The Second Stage Theater production of A Parallelogram is closing on August
20. Their upcoming season looks great. Check out their website for details.
Domenick Danza
