Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In Dave Harris’s EXCEPTION TO THE RULE, naturalistic high school drama uncomfortably meets Beckettian existentialism

• By drediman
• June 1, 2022
• No Comments

Last night at Roundabout Theatre Company’s intimate Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, I attended a performance of Dave Harris’s Exception to the Rule. The world premiere drama by Mr. Harris (who earlier this season was represented by Playwrights Horizons’ production of Tambo & Bones) marks the welcome post-pandemic return of the theater company’s Roundabout Underground programming. Set in a nondescript classroom in a predominantly Black high school, the play depicts a group of boisterous students as they pass the time during an after school detention session.

Although I sustain that Exception to the Rule is superior to the ambitious but sketch-like Tambo & Bones, Mr. Harris’s latest play is not without its flaws. In its clear reference to Samuel Beckett’s seminal Waiting for Godot (e.g., the students wait for a teacher who never shows up) and its tragicomic exploration of the systemic oppression of Black youths, the piece strongly calls to mind Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over (the play that ushered Broadway back to life last summer) – perhaps too much so, especially given that both works technically appear in the same season. Additionally, the characters are broadly drawn to the point of compromising plausibility. Nevertheless, the play generates considerable thematic power as it uncomfortably shifts modes from naturalism (the 90-minute play’s first half) to surreal existentialism (its latter half).

The production has been directed by Miranda Haymon, who has coaxed some rather over-the-top performances from her cast of seven, which seems unnecessary in Roundabout’s tiny Black Box Theatre. Indeed, the performances veer towards flat caricatures as opposed to fully fleshed out characters. Suffice to say, Ms. Haymon’s staging never lets its foot off the pedal, resulting in a largely one-note experience that could use some subtlety and tonal modulation. That being said, the menacing, sinister aspects of the play are effectively realized, thanks largely to Lee Kinney and Cha See’s respective sound and lighting designs.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE
Off-Broadway, Play
Roundabout Theatre Company at the Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center
1 hour, 25 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 26