Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Radcliffe, Cannavale, and Jones crackle in the topical THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT

• By drediman
• October 19, 2018
• No Comments

Bobby Cannavale and Daniel Radcliffe in Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell’s “The Lifespan of a Fact” at Studio 54. Photo by Peter Cunningham.

Last night, Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell’s starry new comedy The Lifespan of a Fact opened on Broadway at Studio 54. In essence, the play, which is based on an essay by John D’’Agata and Jim Finga, attempts to be a serious philosophical debate in the guise of a vintage stage comedy. In it, a tenacious young researcher (Daniel Radcliffe), recently hired straight-out-of-college by an influential magazine, is tasked to fact check a potentially important, soon-to-be-published article penned by an esteemed, albeit arrogant, essayist (Bobby Cannavale). Suffice to say, the latter has fundamentally differing views on the role of facts in his work. Out of this clash of ideas and personalities emerges some rather topical themes – notions of the nature of truth vis-à-vis journalism, and by extension, the role of storytelling in our lives, are explored. Balancing the two perspectives is the magazine’s editor (Cherry Jones).

Much of the dialogue, especially in the snappy first half of the play, strikes comic gold, especially as played in this well-acted production. As the central debate and therefore dramatic stakes escalate, I found that the play started to lose its footing, eventually somewhat fizzling in its slight redundancies by the time we get to the home stretch. Despite the play’s slight structure, I got the sense that the topics it covers, in and of themselves, are ultimately insufficient to fill a whole play satisfyingly. That the play ends on a note of ambivalence is no surprise, but it too only contributed to my misgivings. However, as I’ve said before (and I’ll say it again) – even though the playwriting isn’t always top notch, I find it a nourishing breath of fresh air to encounter an urbane comedy like this one on the boards of the Great White Way.

The main reason to see this topical play is the chance to relish the production’s three very fine performances. Indeed, as smartly directed by Leigh Silverman, The Lifespan of a Fact finds Mr. Radcliffe, Mr. Cannavale, and Ms. Jones at the very top of their respective game. Their performances turn the merely good play into crackling entertainment. Mr. Radcliffe, in particular, is a revelation. On the surface, his is an unassuming performance – particularly when initially paired against the hugely charismatic, larger-than-life work of Ms. Jones and Mr. Cannavale – but it’s the one that gets under your skin as the play unfolds. To watch Mr. Radcliffe’s character come to his own in confidence and intellectual rigor is a real treat.

RECOMMENDED

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT
Broadway, Play
Studio 54
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through January 13