Suddenly, the theater is silent. The audience watches transfixed as the exterior greatness of the protagonist - the famous and successful bestselling author Eric Weiss - crumbles. Streams and streams of embittered tears, hopes and dreams later, the man stands alone on the stage - vulnerable and naked. Yet somehow, the expression of one man's weakness translates into a story of triumph.
Donald Margulies, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "Dinner with Friends" has done it again with his new comic drama, "Brooklyn Boy." Similar to his previous works, this partly autobiographical play explores the theme of coming-of-age in Brooklyn. "Brooklyn Boy," however, has a greater complexity than most typical coming-of-age stories. Instead of focusing on a boy's struggle into manhood, it explores the myriad of personal and relational conflicts as a man journeys back in time to his childhood.
Act I opens in a hospital room. Having achieved success in the literary world, the main character, Eric Weiss (played by Victor Warren), makes a rare and surprising return to his hometown to visit his ailing Jewish father. Although confined to the hospital bed, Eric's father, Manny Weiss (David Kristin) maintains a lively mind. He does a good job in throwing just the right amount of biting sarcasm to spice the father-son exchange: "I dedicated my book to you, Dad," says Eric. Manny replies, "...'To my father and mother...' What's the matter with you, you can't even put in a little blood for me? Where are our names? It can be anyone's father and mother."
Humorous lines aside, Victor Warren utilizes delayed responses to his father to add another layer of plot complexity. The silence between the dialogue not only reveals an unfortunate physical disconnection, but also exemplifies the emotional gap between the two characters. Hence, the simple exchange of banter captures both the son's want of fatherly appraisal and the father's resistance in satisfying this need.
While Warren sometimes overstretches the seriousness of the plot and bores viewers with his limited and ordinary range of exasperated facial and vocal responses, a brilliant cast of secondary characters brings back the comic element to balance the grave undertones of the play.
Ken Baltin, who plays Eric Weiss's childhood buddy Ira Zimmer, has that "Jewish mother" capability of hitting Eric with the most heartfelt but hilarious honesty with his classic deadpan gaze. Similarly, Ellen Colton, who plays Eric Weiss's Hollywood screenwriting agent, shows just enough of that L.A. "superficiality" in her too-wide smiles and her tireless "Oh that is FABULOUS!" exclamations. Characters such as Eric's young book-signing groupie from L.A. (Joy Lamberton), as well as Tyler Shaw (Brad Smith), the star in Eric's book-turned-movie, elicit plenty of laughs from the audience with their spoofs on Valley Girls and the pure-looks-and-no-talent superstars of today's world.
Although the transitions between the scenes and the flashbacks could be enhanced by better technical uses of lighting, SpeakEasy Stage Company produces a compelling performance nonetheless. "Brooklyn Boy" appeals to all as a bold account of one man's acceptance of his childlike cravings for parental love and effectively weaves comedy and drama into a transcendent display of palpable humanity.
