Saturday, January 19, 2008

Theater Review: Edmond

By Mark-Brian Sonna of MBS Productions

I hated this play. Which is what David Mamet wants us to do and Second Thought Theatre delivers a strongly executed version of Edmond.

Second Thought Theatre has taken a risk in producing Edmond which is one of the earlier plays in Mamet’s canon (1983). I say risk because this is not a play for everyone and it will alienate those who are unaware of what they are going to get themselves into when they walk into the theatre. That’s how disliked Mamet has become. If you have a hard time getting the critics to come, imagine how hard it will be to attract an audience. But then, some people get a thrill of not enjoying something.

So, how partial could I be if I don’t like this playwright? Well, to be honest, I’ve never cared for Matisse’s paintings, yet I’ve gone to exhibits of his works and enjoyed the experience, for I can admire what makes his art so great. It’s not to my taste, but I can appreciate it. I feel the same way about Mamet. I’ve never been able to personally connect with his work, yet I have been in awe of his mastery and understand why he’s considered a great playwright. But like any great artist, some works are great, others are not, some are worth reviving and rediscovering, some are not. Edmond is seldom performed for a reason: it’s not very good.

The play abounds with clichés, and specifically Mamet clichés: Women are either prostitutes, or easy to get into bed, blacks are pimps, thugs, or prisoners, businessmen are alcoholics, cops are unsympathetic, etc. None of the characters are revelatory in any way, and espouse trite philosophical musings or lines. The purpose is simply to be crude, and to shock. But for a play to truly be shocking there needs to be an element of surprise, and since every character is so predictable, there are no surprises, and therefore no shock.

This is an 85 minute piece of theatrical dribble. The plot is so threadbare it’s just an excuse to create a series of 20 plus scenes that are supposed to fascinate and intrigue but don’t. Edmond, a typical WASP leaves his wife, has a series of encounters with users, prostitutes, thugs, and degenerates, ends up killing a waitress, and lands in jail, where he finally finds, one assumes, peace of mind. The play would be interesting if it were 25 minutes in length but the play is one hour too long.

Even though I disliked the play, I have to commend the cast for their brave performances. For the most part, this cast is exceptional. Outside of Regan Adair who plays Edmond all the actors have to do dual or triple roles. Each performer created recognizable and gripping characters, even though they were for the most part two dimensional. Rhianna Mack of the ensemble was the exception, she was able to make her subway passenger, and the sauna hostess palpable even though Mamet has drawn them as caricature. All in all, the ensemble was able to morph effectively creating the myriad of stereotypes.

Regan Adair is saddled with playing Edmond. To make a lead interesting, the audience has to either like him or dislike him. We as an audience don’t care. And while Mr. Adair gives us a convincing Edmond, he chose to play him as an “everyman”. By neutering him of quirks or neurotic tics, Edmond is as dull as dishwater. I can’t harp too much on this actor though, for Mamet has written the character this way. This said, he is too much of an everyman and therefore, no one can relate to him. It would have caught the audience’s attention had Mr. Adair chosen to play him with more personality so the audience could care what happens.

Because Edmond is so non-descript as an individual, the murder he commits comes out of nowhere and his lack to fully explain the reasoning of his actions, the play at times parallels the famous novel The Stranger by Albert Camus. In The Stranger, the reader sits passively and watches the action unfold. The lead is a passive everyman who ends up also committing a heinous crime and his descent into a living hell is never fully explained. What makes the book so gripping is that we watch in dismay at the downward spiral of the lead, and we are horrified to discover that as human beings we all have the capacity of doing the same thing. Mamet’s Edmond is attempting to do the same thing, yet because the characters stop and have philosophical musings, we are being told what we are supposed to discover. Camus never tells, he lets the reader figure it out through the art of his prose. Mamet bangs us over the head with it. The other book this play somewhat parallels is Milton’s Paradise Lost, and Mamet is nowhere in the same league.

I must commend the director René Moreno for creative staging. The costuming by Christina Dickson was fantastic; she greatly assisted the actors in creating their characters. The sets were minimalist yet very effective, especially the glass partition. The lighting was imaginative and well executed. My only quibble was the music design. It was a bit of overkill, since I would have preferred silence.

I mentioned at the beginning of the review that David Mamet wanted us to hate the play. He intentionally created a difficult piece of theatre. In the early to mid 80’s there was a trend of making “ugly” art. The avant of the time was to shock, provoke, and titillate. Subtlety was not an option, and it should engender discussion. This play probably got lots of it, but it hasn’t aged well. It seems artificial, and too obvious, and the topic of discussion my theatre partner and I had was not about the message of the play, but the possible motives of why it’s been resurrected by Second Thought Theatre. Then we remembered, some actors are very enamored by this playwright, and it’s considered a coup to be able to say you’ve done a Mamet play. Mamet has written some masterpieces, but much of his work has fallen out of favor and for good reason, it simply isn’t very good.

If you are a die hard David Mamet fan, this play is for you, since it is well produced and acted. Otherwise don’t bother. For tickets, call 972-450-6232.

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