Brightest Young Things

Shock is an increasingly popular component of newer plays. There is intimacy between the cast and the audience, especially in a small theater, so taboo-breaking content quickly provokes a reaction. Strong performances and moments of levity guide us through these intense wringers, and the best plays use shock to touch upon deeper themes. But without a strong production, a shocking play is merely uncomfortable, lacking a substantive impact. That Face, now at the Studio Theater’s 2^nd Stage, falls squarely into the latter category. Playwright Poll Stenham was just nineteen when she wrote this debut, and she precociously knows her away around familial dysfunction, banal cruelty, and mental illness. Hammy performances and forced direction undermine the sharp screenplay, and too many jokes fall flat. There are several strong moments, yet the production numbs when it should stun.

An innocent act of sadism springs the plot into action. Mia (Dana Levanovsky) and Izzy (Zehra Fazal), students at a posh prep school, are busy hazing the younger Alice (Angela Weichbrodt). Mia unwittingly does harm than intended, so when Alice ends up in the hospital, disciplinary action is inevitable. Too bad Mia’s mother Martha (Eva Willhelm) is a deranged alcoholic; when she answers the school’s call in an inebriated haze, the administration contacts her father Hugh (Will Cooke) as a last-ditch effort. Martha’s state worsened ever since Hugh left the country, so Mia and her older brother Henry (Patrick Thomas Cragin) are outraged by their father’s inevitable return. Hugh’s arrival takes a profound toll on Henry, who is in the throes of an Oedipally co-dependent relationship with Martha. The reunion awakens old wounds, and as the speeches get more hostile, it seems the dysfunction will break everyone involved.

Incest and torture are thorny subjects, particularly in a modern setting, so the cast has their work cut out. They must sell their character’s depraved compulsions, and make audiences believe in whatever sliver of redemption they might receive. Of all the actors, Levanovsky is most up to the task. She makes Mia a believable teenager, not too precocious, and while Mia cannot fully grasp Henry’s struggle, she’s heartbreaking when she fails to connect with her brother.

Indeed, Henry and Martha are the centerpiece of the production - the play succeeds/fails based on their chemistry, and whether the audience buys their relationship. Unfortunately Willhelm’s Martha is more grotesque than human. She sneers and shouts through the role – the performance is somewhere between Mommie Dearest and The Graduate, yet fails to grasp the strength of either. When her one-liners fall flat, the ensuing silence weakens the audience’s sympathy. As Henry, Cragin is at his best when he’s blasting his family (Fazal’s Izzy is a believably contemptible strumpet, so it’s rewarding when Henry finally chews her out). Justified tantrums cannot eclipse the week scenes with Martha. It takes severe trauma to embark on such a relationship, yet Cragin only scratches at the surface of a complex character. Their work is at first disquieting and soon becomes tedious, exaggerated. Disinterest increases as novelty fades.

At a lean ninety minutes, there is something in That Face to disturb the most hardened theater-goer. Clucks of disapproval were frequent during its first half, yet it's easy to become disengaged as the play loses energy. Perhaps director Rahaleh Nassri intended to increase the play’s running time. There’s one debaucherous act of rebellion that feels deliberate when it should feel impulsive. Coupled with several long periods of silence*, Nassri’s choices deny the play the brisk pace That Face requires. Stenham’s play is certainly provocative. It’s remarkable such material could come from such a young mind, even if the cast’s shortcomings fail to inspire further scrutiny.

* Frequent set changes the further diminish the play’s energy. Quality English indie rock fills the silences, though quicker transitions would have better held my interest.

That Face runs at The Studio 2^nd Stage through March 14. Buy tickets here.

Previously in Live DC:

• 2/13: LiveDC: George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic @ 930 Club
• 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
• 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
• 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
• 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
• 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
• 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre