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A CurtainUp New Jersey Review
The Understudy
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You have no rights. You are an actor. — Roxanne
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Adam Green and JD Taylor
(Photo: T. Charles Erickson)
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What fun there is watching three splendid actors playing contentious theatre professionals in this absurdist and also insightful comedy about "the profession" by Theresa Rebeck. An Off Broadway hit five years ago, The Understudy takes a mostly comical look at a day's rehearsal of a Broadway play that involves one of its stars, his understudy and the stage manager. The play they are rehearsing is by Franz Kafka, a lengthy fusion of those mostly enigmatic psychological, political, and social elements that run through the renowned Czech author's The Castle and The Trial. The rehearsal is for the benefit of the recently hired understudy.
Recently discovered and never before produced, this supposed masterpiece would never have seen the bright lights of Broadway were it not for two super stars of filmdom who see it as a lark between films and also as a vehicle to boost their prestige. While there are Kafkaesque traces of isolation, despair and the inexplicable behavior by the characters in Rebeck's play, they don't keep us from simply enjoying the tumult and the terrain.
The play's star, a good-looking, young action-movie hero anxious to be taken seriously as an actor, is unwittingly challenged by his envious and eager understudy as things go from bad to worse despite the best efforts of an unnerved stage manager. Having had the pleasure of seeing this play before, I am especially pleased at how director Adam Immerwahr has found a way to give the complicated relationships between the three and cleverly staged it with consideration for the Matthews Theater, the larger of the two theaters in the McCarter Theatre Center.
All the action takes place on the stage and in the aisles of a Broadway theater where the two action heroes are packing them in. One of the stars (never seen) gets $22 million a film while the slightly lesser star Jake only gets $2 million or so. However, Jake, as played by the good-looking JD Taylor with a disarming blend of self-effacement and swagger, is thrilled that his latest epic took in $67 million in its first weekend. Jake is already prepared to take over for his co-star should it be necessary with Harry (Adam Green) being prepped as his understudy — with virtually no chance to ever go on.
Full of fun and fury, The Understudy begins with a funny self-serving "I'm not bitter" rant by Green that reflect Harry's insecurities. What really unsteadies Harry is the sight of Roxanne to whom he was engaged six years ago. Why Harry took a powder two weeks before their wedding is for some mysterious reason not for us to know.
The sudden reappearance of Harry in Roxanne's life adds to the tension and contention growing between Harry and Jake. Danielle Skraastad gives a humorously ferocious performance as Roxanne who is still digesting the pain of her breakup with Harry. Her tendency to over react to every challenge that comes up may also have something thing to do with her giving up acting and becoming a stage manager.
To heighten the tension there is an unseen assistant named Laura in a booth in the back of the theater who is apparently stoned and incapable of keeping control of the scenery, lighting and special effects that are also being tested. A lot of the comedy is provided by the spectacular use and misuse of scenery, set pieces, including a huge sketch of Kafka, on movable platforms that take on a life of their own.
What is most revelatory and enjoyable is observing the way Green and Taylor analyze Kafka's intentions and then perform scenes from the play. It is their different approaches to the Kafka play that provide surprises for us.
Jake's determination and his belief that he has something more to offer than he has been allowed is seen in contrast to Harry's condescending attitude and his brash reliance on his training as a classically trained actor. It is here where Rebeck plays with a Kafkaesque conceit of deploying an unexpected and unpredictable outcome.
Rebeck has become a prominent and prolific voice in the theater with such notable Broadway plays as Mauritius , Seminar , and Dead Accounts as well as many produced Off Broadway including her most recent Poor Behavior . The Understudy is one of her best and its excellent production at McCarter confirms that.
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The Understudy by Theresa Rebeck Directed by Adam Immerwahr Cast: Adam Green (Harry), JD Taylor (Jake), Danielle Skrasstad (Roxanne) Set Design: Eugene Lee Costume Design: Kristin Isola Lighting Design: Stephen Strawbridge Sound Design and Original Music: Nick Kourtides Choreographer: Sam Pinkleton Production Stage Manager: Alison Cote Running Time: 1 hour 25 minutes no intermission Matthews Theatre at the McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton, NJ (609) 258-2787 Performances: Tues to Thurs 7:30 pm; Fri 8 pm; Sat 3 pm and 8 pm, Sun 2 pm and 7:30 pm. From 10/14/14 Opened 10/17/14 Ends 11/02/14 Review by Simon Saltzman based on performance 10/17/14 |
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