THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Broadway revival of CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD is dated, albeit urgently performed

Lauren Ridloff and Joshua Jackson in Mark Medoff's "Children of a Lesser God" at Studio 54.

Lauren Ridloff and Joshua Jackson in Mark Medoff’s “Children of a Lesser God” at Studio 54.

This week saw the opening of the first Broadway revival of Mark Medoff’s 1980 play Children of a Lesser God at Studio 54. So how has the play held up? Well, the Tony-winning play about the forbidden romantic relationship between a defiant and independent deaf woman and her pragmatic teacher is starting to show its age. In my recent viewing, the play came off as an odd mix of cloying 1980-era humor and fervent, intellectual – and I would argue timeless – debate about human rights. And at a lengthy two-and-a-half hours, the production nearly outstays its welcome. I would love to see the play re-worked into an intense 90-minute two- or three-hander, as is the trend these days. I bet it would be a firecracker.

Luckily, the production, directed – at times disjointedly, bizarrely – by Kenny Leon, is passionately and urgently acted. The deaf actors fare much better than their hearing counterparts. Indeed, the gorgeous Lauren Ridloff (who fearlessly plays the deaf female lead) and John McGinty (in a high-octane supporting role) are giving noteworthy performances by any standard. As the teacher caught between a rock and a hard place, Joshua Jackson, of Dawson’s Creek-fame, is giving a workmanlike, if generic, performance. The rest of the cast do the best they can with their somewhat two-dimensional roles.

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CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD
Broadway, Play
Studio 54
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through September 9

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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