43
‘Love and Understanding’ Play’s script offers nothing new
By LORRAINE WARDLE
The love triangle is an old concept, but audiences never tire of it. The familiar theme is at the core of “Love and Understanding,” the latest production by Black Box theater company at Youngstown State University.
Neal and Rachel have a peaceful, if not entirely blissful, life together. However, Neal’s old friend Richie appears and begins to unravel their precarious existence.
Though neither Neal nor Rachel want to, they allow Richie to stay with them. Richie in turn manipulates both Neal and Rachel and pits the couple against each other. They allow him to come between them, though they really should know better. In the end, Richie leaves Neal and Rachel to pick up the pieces.
Though love triangles are nothing new, occasionally a writer comes up with a new twist that makes it seem fresh and interesting. Unfortunately, this is not the case with playwright Joe Penhall or his play, which offers very little love and even less understanding.
The problem is simply Penhall’s rather unoriginal script. The dialogue is boring and the characters are underdeveloped. Watching these characters interact with each other, one wonders why we should care. What little background we learn about the characters arrives too late in the play and doesn’t match up with their behavior or the dialogue. Penhall tries for angst and emotion but only comes up with mundanity.
Director Rebecca Anderson and her cast tried to infuse the script with emotion, but often came off as insincere. Each character was terribly one-dimensional: Neal was always angry, Richie was always obnoxious, and Rachel was always just there.
Patrick McGuire, as Neal, tried to give his character some depth of emotion. But his attempts seemed too intense, giving much of his performance a one-note feeling of anger and stress with little variety. He did recover in the second act, giving his character some range, but still seemed stilted.
As Richie, Anthony Genovese excelled at the brooding, boozing, train-wreck part of his character, but he lacked the charm and likability that apparently endeared him to his friends. The play’s one shining moment, however, is Richie’s Act Two monologue. Here, Genovese is able to give a sincere and emotional glimpse into the motivations of his character.
Abby Smith, as Rachel, seemed bland compared with her two male counterparts. Richie calls Rachel “innocent and extremely shrewd,” but Smith’s performance was neither. She seemed disconnected, reciting lines rather than speaking.
Anderson’s stage direction kept the play visually interesting. Her use of full “in-the-round” staging helped give the play an intimate feel and she kept the characters moving perfectly. Also effective was Jessica Schmidt’s sound design. The music between each scene fit the mood and gave the play a contemporary feel.
One has to wonder whether the British accents are necessary. The play seems to be set in London, but the setting is not important to the plot. The accents of McGuire and Genovese were adequate but distracting, while Smith seemed to simply overenunciate.