Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Based on true events, albeit in drastically divergent ways: THE MEETING: THE INTERPRETER and CELLINO V. BARNES

• By drediman
• August 9, 2024
• No Comments

This week, I caught up with a pair of Off-Broadway two-handers that take their lead from true events — albeit in drastically divergent ways. As always, read on for my thoughts on these two summertime theater offerings.

THE MEETING: THE INTERPRETER
Theatre at St. Clement’s
Through August 25

First up at the Theatre at St. Clement’s in Hell’s Kitchen was Catherine Gropper’s timely if bizarre new play The Meeting: The Interpreter (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED). In short, the play is a theatrical meditation on the notorious Trump Tower Meeting of 2016 — during which the Trump campaign was accused to have colluded with the Russians — and the Congressional hearings and questionings that it ignited. The script is an uneasy amalgamation between political theater (complete with enacted redacted transcripts) and philosophical musings (notable connections are made to the Magnitsky Act of 2012) that unfolds with little dramatic tension. Unfortunately, the overly fussy multimedia staging by director Brian Mertes — seemingly inspired by Ivo van Hove’s divisive aesthetic — doesn’t help matters much, detracting from and defusing the already muddled script with a production that straddles documentary, puppet, and avant-garde theater (the expressive puppetry is by the great Julian Crouch). Thankfully, the excellent performances are worth savoring — Tony-winner Frank Wood sensitively portrays the titular Russian American interpreter present at the meeting, while Kelley Curran incisively plays the Russian lawyer who hired him. Both also skillfully portray a number of other characters, doing well to distinguish each of their creations. However, despite Wood and Curran’s game and valiant efforts, The Meeting: The Interpreter fails to make much of an impact in the end.

CELLINO V. BARNES
Asylum NYC
Open run

Taking a rather different approach to history is Cellino V. Barnes (RECOMMENDED), the hugely entertaining comic two-hander currently running at Asylum NYC. If you haven’t already surmised, Mike B. Breen and David Rafailedes’ new play is a loose retelling of the rise and demise of the much-advertised personal injury law firm — yes, the one that inspired that jingle. Although the frame of the story is based on actual events, the creators have taken extensive liberties with pretty much everything therein. With a running time of just 75-minutes, the parody — which clearly has its roots in improv and sketch comedy — is clever, breezy, and quite funny. Indeed, it’s a definite shift in tone from the somber, reflective, and ultimately disappointing The Meeting: The Interpreter. It’s hard not to have a good time at Cellino V. Barnes, especially if you’re at least familiar with the infamous jingle, if not the larger story on which the work is based. As such, the show is destined to have a healthy run as a bona fide crowd-pleaser. As Ross Cellino and Steve Barnes, respective, Eric William Morris and Noah Weisberg are having a grand old time, infusing their hilariously contrasting performances with the kind of exuberant glee you’d expect from a vaudeville double act. As directed by Wesley Taylor and Alex Wyse — both known primarily as Broadway actors — the scrappy, well-paced production pops, even if it does lack any noticeable psychological depth. Now if I could just get that pesky jingle out of my head.