Playwright Lydia R. Diamond is well known for her plays "Stick Fly" and "Smart People." Twenty years ago she penned "The Gift Horse," a complex look at love and recovery from early sexual trauma. Ms. Diamond's connection with Director Jim Petosa harks back to her days of teaching at BU. He interprets this vintage work with care, directing a fine ensemble of six veterans of Boston area stages.
Ms. Diamond tells her story in a somewhat unconventional manner. There is an enigmatic character, Jordan (Cloteal L. Horne) sitting off to the side of the stage miming the playing of a cello (the miming is somewhat problematic, and a bit of a distraction). It is unclear to the audience - and to the other characters - who this person is, and how her occasional comments relate to the action of the play. The playwright is holding her cards close to the vest, only revealing Jordan's true role at the end of the play. Apart from the awkwardness with the cello, Ms. Horne is excellent in these final scenes.
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Obehi Janie, Maurice Emmanuel Parent
Cloteal L. Horne
Alejandro Simoes, Zachary Rice
"The Gift Horse" by Lydia R. Diamond
New Rep Theatre
Mosesian Center for the Arts
Through May 14th
Photo by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures
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Ruth (an exceptionally effective Obehi Janice) is a young woman struggling with life. We learn that she is wrestling with demons from her past that involve her relationship with her father that make it difficult for her to sleep. She reluctantly goes to see a therapist, Brian (the versatile Maurice Emmanuel Parent), and the cliche of patient-therapist transference kicks in, and they fall in love. They eventually marry, but struggle with complex issues of fertility and childbearing. Ruth is supported by her close friend, Ernesto (a very sympathetic Alejandro Simoes). They have a strong emotional bond, but he is gay and not available romantically. He, in turn, needs Ruth's support in juggling a complicated relationship with Bill (an excellent and intense Lewis D. Wheeler), a charming sociopath who sends Ernesto into an emotional tailspin. On the heels of this disappointment, Ernesto finds the more stable Noah (the very winsome Zachary Rice) to provide some stability and comfort.
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| Alejandro Simoes, Zachary Rice Obehi Janie, Maurice Emmanuel Parent "The Gift Horse" by Lydia R. Diamond New Rep Theatre Mosesian Center for the Arts Through May 14th Photo by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures |
As written, the play calls for characters not in focus in a scene to hover on the fringe of the action and interject commentary as if they were there. Ernesto hangs in the balcony and imposes himself into the therapy sessions between Ruth and Brian. The effect is initially confusing, but ultimately intriguing. Jon Savage's multi-level set allows for this kind of creative interaction, creating spaces for the home that Ruth and Brian eventually share, Brian's office, along with spaces for Bill to jog in and out of scenes in his quest for physical perfection. Penney Pinette has designed costumes that help to define these six idiosyncratic characters, and the Lighting by Alberto Segarra and Sound by Dewey Dellay enhance the effects and action of the play.
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| Alejandro Simoes, Lewis D. Wheeler
"The Gift Horse" by Lydia R. Diamond
New Rep Theatre
Mosesian Center for the Arts
Through May 14th
Photo by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures
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In this stellar cast, Ms. Janice and Mr. Parent stand out, as they always do. Both of these fine actors have established themselves among the most gifted artists working on Boston area stages. In this play, their attraction and their conflicts throw off sparks that glisten like the namesake gem of the playwright's name. It is a delight to watch them take their respective characters through arcs of variegated emotions and convoluted development. Brian goes from clinical objectivity as Ruth's therapist to rage over his wife's insistence on having a child. Ruth ranges from vulnerable to unassailable, with several interim stops along the way.
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Obehi Janie, Maurice Emmanuel Parent
"The Gift Horse" by Lydia R. Diamond
New Rep Theatre
Mosesian Center for the Arts
Through May 14th
Photo by Andrew Brilliant/Brilliant Pictures
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New Rep Website
Enjoy,
Al
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