Medievalist and Live Action Role Player Zach is on the writing team for a period television series with a rabid fanbase. As a successful ghostwriter of bodice rippers, Laura knows every cliched metaphor for an erection. The two meet when Zach takes his ill-timed first foray into online dating in Liba Vaynberg’s Round Table, having its Off Broadway premiere at 59E59. The audience for these oddball lovebirds skews particularly young and it’s easy to see why. Despite the characters’ (pre)occupation rooted in the past, they are engaged in a very modern romance. Costume designer Johanna Pan does a particularly clever job of firmly pulling us into both worlds, with one half of the wardrobe lovingly mocking the other.
Craig Wesley Divino as Zach and Sharina Martin as Morgan in ROUND TABLE at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Carol Rosegg
Ms. Vaynberg’s script is largely humorous and unexpectedly sophisticated. Threads of sad misfortune are delicately woven into the comedic tapestry. The carefully plotted landscapes of Laura’s novels and Zach’s LARP explorations are juxtaposed with the very real messiness of detached parents, sleepless nights, and creeping illness. There are some puzzling references to Greek mythology (is Zeus the gateway drug to King Arthur?), but for the most part the connective tissue is strong. This is a tale of would-be knights and damsels both in distress and in control. Vulnerabilities exposed in life can be gently cloaked and “cloaked” in the alternate universe, making them easier to confront. While these characters may need to escape to a place in which every move requires consent, they must ultimately accept what the universe hands them. These two realities are intermingled, with monologues serving to separate the beats, ending in a lifelike precarious balance of the two. The seesaw of moods is echoed in the lighting designed by Cha See, which switches from hot spots to muted shadows cast by branches suspended from the ceiling.
Perhaps too attached to her precious words, Vaynberg the actress doesn’t do justice to her own work. Laura’s lines indicate that she is self-aware, if imperfect. Instead, the actress’s delivery is stilted, as if read from a gigantic invisible paper floating before her. Fortunately, the rest of her cast is terrific. If there was a special Tony for staging embarrassment, director Geordie Broadwater would be the runaway winner. He brings out a full range of difficult emotions in his tiny team while also using natural movements to store out-of-time props. Craig Wesley Divino’s performance as Zach is infused with genuine tenderness, bringing out both his mastery of our hero’s work and dis-ease in the rest of his life. Karl Gregory rescues Zach’s gay brother Kay from remaining a one note flamboyant sidekick, providing emotional layering to pivotal scenes. Matthew Bovee’s Modred isn’t given as much to work with, though he does give distinction to his warrior and shyer selves. And Sharina Martin’s Morgan is so electrically charge, you can well imagine her having hoards of adoring followers. Even as her anxiety-ridden alter ego, she bores into your soul when she stares unflinchingly into the eyes of audience members. Good thing since Izmir Ickbal’s set bifurcated with effective scrim puts the players mere inches from their viewers.
In all their iterations, the characters of Round Table are thoroughly likable. And at $20/$25 this piece makes for a full and engaging theatrical experience. Produced by Fault Line Theatre and Anna & Kitty, Inc. it runs through October 20 in Theater C at 59E59 Theaters ((59 East 59th Street, between Park & Madison). Running time is approximately 95 minutes, with no intermission. Tickets are available by calling the 59E59 Box Office at 646-892-7999 or by visiting www.59e59.org.
Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson
On a soundstage, a talented production team is preparing to shoot an AT&T commercial featuring beloved Luke Wilson. The creative concept is to drop red gumballs around the star to symbolize all of Verizon’s dropped calls. Despite a lack of time to test the hastily put-together rig, prop lead Rob is able to toss the small projectiles just shy of Luke’s shoulder and the first few takes go smoothly. Then a case of nerves sets in and a few of the hard objects hit Luke squarely on the head. The actor sees stars; the director —award-winning documentarian Errol Morris — sees excitement and orders the crew to deliberately aim for the performer on the next take.
This is the set-up of the aptly named Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson, which is based on true events. Though the Directors Guild of America takes set safety very seriously, sadly there are occasional incidents of a director demanding a dangerous shot, as happened in this case. Rob Ackerman accurately has commercial Assistant Director, Alice, threaten to report Morris to the Guild. The script also provides enough background to realistically make her vulnerable to manipulation. It’s a creative stand-in for any project on which a concerned would-be whistleblower has instead been made complicit through intimidation. If only the playwright had trusted his audience to get his very clear and impactful message. Instead, after a lively and thought-provoking 55 minutes, he burdens the additional 20 with outright lectures on broader issues and political topics ranging from gender discrimination to Nazis. It’s an unnecessary departure from the previous territory that mars an otherwise engaging production.
First time director, famed playwright Theresa Rebeck, does an imaginative job of bringing us deep inside the physical set of the commercial and the mind set of each participant. The results are visually stimulating and often laugh-out-loud funny. The assorted screens that are employed by Morris for playback at the shoot are also used to show us the crew’s previous experiences that have brought them to this critical moment. (Yana Birkukova provides the ideal video design.) The nearly all-white set designed by Christopher and Justin Swader shows off these projections to great effect. Emphasis is achieved by Mary Ellen Stebbin’s well-placed lighting, which often shifts to a befitting green-screen green. The look is completed by the essential craft service table. Costumes designed by Tricia Barsamian will make any production pro feel right at home. All-important clever props are provided by Addison Heeren.
The Cast of Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson; Photo by Carol Rosegg
As a former prop person, Rob Ackerman makes the prop man, also named Rob, his spokesperson. George Hampe does a fabulous job of growing increasingly manic as character Rob struggles to remain the voice of reason and the closest thing we get to a hero. With a get-on-with-it gruffness, Dean Nolen is well cast as his boss and seasoned rigger, Ken. Reyna De Courcy is less successful at maintaining an appropriate emotional build in the role of their assistant, Jenny, becoming akin to a cartoon character with jerky motions and high-pitched yelps of displeasure. With enough charm and swagger, Jonathan Sale could easily be Luke Wilson’s deliberately pudgy body double. It’s less easy to know how well David Wohl impersonates Errol Morris. The part is written in one obnoxious note, though the theater vet certainly manifests a typical ego-driven artist. In the toughest role, Ann Harada swings rightly between assuredness and fear as Alice, but she struggles to differentiate the other small parts she takes on in memory and flashback.
Ackerman’s love of television production and those who strive to keep it creative and truthful shines through despite a dip in the ending. It is easy to see why both Luke Wilson and Errol Morris have given the project their blessing. With a little reworking of the last section, Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson has the makings of insightful modern satire. Running time is 75 minutes with no intermission. It plays through July 6, 2019, in the Mezzanine Theater at at A.R.T./ New York Theatre (502 W. 53rd Street). Tickets are $25 for union card holders, $30 general admission and $40 for reserved seating. For purchasing and additional information, visit TheWorkingTheater.org or call the Box Office (Ovationtix) at 866.811.4111.