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There's apprehension in the air when attending a world premiere, be it staged in a well-heeled venue, the play's sights already set for a New York run, or mounted modestly in one of our town's many tiny storefront houses with a future as cloudy as Eliot Spitzer's. Every so often, as such a performance begins to unfold, trepidation turns to elation, the initial anxiety replaced by an awareness that one is present at the first sight of a major theatrical event. Such is the feeling with Jonathan Tolins' newest play.
Tolins' story follows the complex 10-year relationship that develops between Andy Lipman (Edward Tournier), a theatre-obsessed suburban teenager, and Martin Kerner (John Glover), the illustrious Broadway director he befriends. The age-old subject of student-mentor bonding takes on even more facets when filtered, complete with plenty of laughs and more than a soupcon of tears, through the emblematical convolutions of a life lived in the theatre, making Andy's journey rife with bumps along the way and yet yielding its share of inspiration. Still, this isn't only about compulsive theatrical types; it's about people. And through the colorful veil of ol' Broadway glitz and glitter, there's a universal humanity uncovered here, certain to touch the heart of anyone, no matter how they choose to live their lives.
Adding to the fact that this play is meticulously crafted, exceedingly clever, and fascinating in its ability to conjure the constant insecurity of any career in the industry, Tolins' gentle masterpiece is given a debut that couldn't be more celebratory at the hand of director Matt Shakman, who possesses an uncanny ability to translate a playwright's ideas visually with utmost respect and worldclass creativity. Glover is overwhelmingly real as the grand but troubled Kerner, and Tournier is his quintessential match, subtly following the oft-painful maturation of Andy between ages 16 and 26 with complete believability. Their scenes together are flawless, aided immensely by the ever-sturdy Bill Brochtrup as Kerner's long-suffering assistant and Mark L. Taylor and Amy Aquino as the well-meaning but typically put-upon parents frustrated that Andy's passage into adulthood isn't more about them.
Presented by and at the Black Dahlia Theatre
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