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Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
Harbor
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I might not be a Girl Scout Troop Leader or a room mother. And magical
cupcakes don't come flying out of my ass. But as far as mothers go, things could be a lot worse. Sure, I'd like it if we lived in a nice house like this, with wind chimes and fresh basil, but that's not the way it is. But you could have it a lot worse. A lot. Worse. You don't even know. — Donna
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Paul Anthony Stewart and Randy Harrison
(Photo credit: Carol Rosegg) |
We are, however, pretty much on the same page with this comedy by the lyricist of Elf and The Wedding Singer (for which he also wrote the book). The play about a gay couple that becomes unwittingly bamboozled into the prospect of parenthood turns out to be more disheartening and disengaging than I had anticipated.
While I will refer you to Plemmons' review for more detailed story points, I would be remiss if I didn't share my concern for some basic credibility issues raised by it being directed by Mark Lamos as if making sense didn't matter. A potentially interesting problem devolves into a series of fatuous confrontations fueled by the kind of flippant dialogue that wouldn't get past the first re-write of a television sitcom. Actually many sitcoms do deal with gay couples in a more inquiring and realistic light than this play which is largely an excuse to reprise/resurrect posturing and posing that one might have hoped had been exiled for simply being stale.
The dilemma that is addressed is simple enough. Can the ten-year relationship between thirty-something architect Ted (Paul Anthony-Stewart) and Kevin (Randy Harrison) his slightly younger pretty-boy stay-at-home partner who fancies himself a writer (he's still working on a novel he began ten years ago) survive the unexpected arrival of Kevin's semi-estranged sluttish, pregnant, unmarried older sister Donna (Erin Cummings) and her morose and miserable fifteen year-old daughter Lottie (Alexis Molnar)?
Self-described as trailer trash and living out of a van, immature, crassly homophobic Donna envisions a career singing on a cruise ship. Her plan is to leave the baby once it is born to be raised by Ted and Kevin who she recalls alway wanting to be a mommy.
A lot of time and temperament is expended with the unlikely, unpleasant, and unseemly attempts by Donna to sell the idea of adopting her baby to two men who have made it clear that they want no part of it. Buoyed by her gay-barbed invectives, Donna is not only the guest from hell, but an inept mother and mother-to-be who's determined to hunker down for the duration of her pregnancy in the tastefully furnished Sag Harbor home (designed as it was originally by Andrew Jackness).
What one is apt to wonder about while watching the play is why Ted and Kevin, whose relationship is suddenly being incredulously manipulated by the ever needling Donna and the extraordinarily needy Lottie, don't have any meaningful discussions or consider options over a three-month period. They appear to be compatible, but also seem to be living in a social vacuum, except for one scene in which the living room has been decorated to celebrate Lottie's birthday, an event that unfortunately explodes with recriminations and vitriol proving once again that Donna is a loud-mouthed lush and that Lottie hasn't made any friends in the neighborhood. A serious, eleventh-hour plot twist alters the mood and tone of the play, but it arrives too late and with too little credibility.
What is somewhat commendable is how both Harrison, who is best known for his portrayal of Justin Taylor on the Showtime series Queer As Folk, and Stewart, who originated the role of Ted at the Westport Country Playhouse, have applied so many of the most visible and risible of stereotypical affectations to their characters without instigating an assault of rotten tomatoes. Cummings, who is making her New York stage debut, is attractive and effectively offensive as the desperate Donna. The most interesting character is the budding braniac Lottie, who, as played with an obnoxiously condescending sincerity by Molnar, is repeating the role that she played in Westport.
There are as many issues and obstacles for gay couples to confront when considering adoption and parenting. As the subject was previously dealt with a disarming humanity and a comical tenderness in the award-winning Off Broadway musical The Kid in 2010, there is also the potential and prospect of shedding a bright new light on a task whose only requirement is the love, nurturing and support of a new life. It is regrettable that the all too glib Harbor offers barely a glimmer of it.
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Harbor By Chad Beguelin Directed by Mark Lamos Cast: Erin Cummings (Donna Adams), Alexis Molnar (Lottie Adams), Randy Harrison (Kevin Adams-Weller), Paul Anthony Stewart (Ted Adams-Weller) Set Design: Andrew Jackness Costume Design: Candice Donnelly Lighting Design: Japhy Weideman Original Music & Sound Design: John Gromada Running Time: 2 hours including intermission Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street). (212) 279 -4200 From 07/23/13 Opened 08/06/13 Ends 09/08/13 Tickets: $70.00 |
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