Alter egos double the 'Passion,' double the fun

Some productions are so impeccably crafted that they demand to be seen. Others tackle complex questions in innovative ways, and, whether they succeed or fail, they too demand a viewing. Peter Nichols's Passion Play, directed by Jeffrey Little, PC '02, is one of the latter. To be sure, there are problems with certain aspects of the show, but its thought-provoking interpretation of love and loyalty make it worthwhile.

REBECCA ROSENTHAL/YH Now I'm just plain confused...who did I have sex with last night? Wait, I didn't go to a frat party, did I?

A whirlwind of emotions, the show captures the murky undercurrents of a relationship that is calm on the surface. The story revolves around a love triangle between James (Brian Tanen, TD '01) and Eleanor (Meiyin Wang, DC '02), a middle-aged couple, and Kate (Laurel Pinson, DC '02), the promiscuous young mistress of their late friend Albert. This is complicated enough, but the triangle soom becomes a pentagon with the introduction of Jim (Ben Marcovitz, TC '01) and Nell (Emily Bloom, DC '02), James and Eleanor's more emotive alter egos.

Initially, the couple's other selves speak almost as consciences, encouraging James and Eleanor to act in certain ways, but before long they find themselves at the center of the action. Their words became so intertwined with James and Eleanor's that it's difficult to tell what's being thought and what's being said. The audience is easily lost in the fight to untangle the confusing conversations that drive the piece. Yet it is a victory in that it mirrors exactly the conflicting emotions that permeate any long-term relationship. In allowing James and Eleanor to become physically engulfed by their emotions, the play drags the audience into their inner conflict. Instead of just imagining the couple's torment, we get to see it in the outbursts of their alter egos.

Tanen and Marcovitz, as the two minds of James, often seem polar opposites, with Marcovitz as the impulsive, immature, prepubescent Jim and Tanen as the sensitive and mature middle-aged James. They play well off of one another; Tanen's cool and likeable demeanor counters Marcovitz's crude and awkward mannerisms. Eleanor's egos are similarly complimentary, with Bloom as the slightly crazed and embittered Nell and Wang representing the strong, no-nonsense Eleanor. Both women do their characters justice. Bloom's voice nearly breaks every other line, highlighting her instability, and Wang's hysterical tantrum in the second act is true to the frustrations of a middle-aged wife. Pinson's Kate is everything a temptress should be—straightforward, clever, and oozing sexuality. She holds ground between James and Eleanor well, a tough task amid conflicting egos.

The religious imagery in the show is subtle but still noticeable, a good choice on Little's part. The title itself is allusion enough to the Passion, Christ's week of suffering up to and including the crucifixion. The stage, set quietly in the shape of a cross, enhances the theme, but not in any gratuitous fashion. Had the imagery been any more obvious, it would have detracted from the raw power of James and Eleanor's basic conflict.

Theater

Passion Play By Peter Nichols Fri., Dec. 1, 8 p.m., and Sat., Dec. 2, 2 and 8 p.m. Off-Broadway Performance Space $2

Nichols' alter ego concept is intriguing, but also problematic. The playwright reveals so much about James and Eleanor through their four personas that he leaves the actors with little to bring to their characters. And while Nichols should be commended for writing beautifully complex roles, he leaves the pairs of actors with the unfortunate task of sorting out who will express which facets of their character. The four actors seem to handle the challenge fairly well, but occasionally the alter egos take on traits of the main characters and vice versa, which is probably more a fault of the script than of the acting. In addition, Jim and Nell, who initially embody James and Eleanor's repressed passions, quickly take on minds of their own, and it becomes difficult to determine which self represents each character's true motivations. While this confusion enhances the couple's internally chaotic relationship, it doesn't always seem intentional.

Even the script seems to acknowledge the shortcomings of tag-team acting. As James says to Eleanor in a lucid moment, "The price of changing partners so often is you become a soloist." He is talking about Kate, but as the four members of the couple play their complicated game of musical chairs with little time to develop real chemistry, it seems that Nichols is somehow also admitting defeat. The challenge of juggling two roles per character takes its toll, but it also makes Passion Play twice as interetsing as your average production.

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