Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Richard Greenberg’s new comedy THE PERPLEXED unfortunately lives up to its title

• By drediman
• March 4, 2020
• No Comments

The company of Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of “The Perplexed” by Richard Greenberg at New York City Center. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Last night, Richard Greenberg’s new drawing room comedy The Perplexed opened Off-Broadway at New York City Center in a production by Manhattan Theatre Club. The world premiere play by Mr. Greenberg – whose Tony-winning Take Me Out returns to Broadway this spring – is the latest in a long line of collaborations between MTC and the playwright. Set during a wedding in a swanky 5th Avenue apartment, The Perplexed tells the story of two feuding wealthy families (their children are the bride and groom) the who attempt to reconcile their differences over the course of the evening’s festivities.

Allegedly, the play underwent not an insignificant amount of rewrites during its preview period. Unfortunately, the exposition-heavy play lives up to its title and continues to suffer structurally and tonally. In taking on both the petty and the existential — and everything in between — Mr. Greenberg has exposed himself to overindulgence and teetering objectives, which he’s largely fallen prey to. Indeed, even the playwright’s dazzling way with words here seems labored. Although the production has been carefully directed by longtime MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow, she’s unable to find a strong enough pulse beneath the play’s thick Chekhovian skin. She does best when exposing the play’s underlying anxieties but is less successful in its farcical mode. Suffice to say, she and the playwright struggle to bring the two aspects together.

One of the most impressive elements of the production is Santo Loquasto’s sprawling, impressively detailed and lived-in library set (which extends into the wings), itself functioning like a character. In some ways, Mr. Loquasto’s elaborate, sprawling scenic design is also a sort of physical representation of the play (in that it meanders). Unsurprisingly, the performances from the high-profile cast (which includes the likes of the great Frank Wood) are generally genial but stylistically all over the place — veering from farcical to urbane — as if the actors have been directed to be in different plays, which is not totally untrue.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

THE PERPLEXED
Off-Broadway, Play
Manhattan Theatre Club / New York City Center
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through March 29