Anton Dudley’s fascinating new play City Of, a production of The Playwrights Realm at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, explores living in “The In-Between” -- what one character in City Of calls “the sustained waking dream…eternal twilight: entre chien et loup” (between dog and wolf, a French idiom meaning 'twilight'). What does it mean to occupy this liminal state, between so-called real life and dreaming? Mr. Dudley shows us by throwing four Americans, searching for answers to the ache in their hearts, together in Paris.
Using poetic language brimming with imagery and sweet touches of whimsy, Mr. Dudley roots the play in relationships, exploring each character’s connections with themselves, other people, and the city of Paris. Cammie (Colby Minifie), a singer fresh out of college, is on a quest to unleash her operatic voice, which at the moment she keeps safely in her handbag; Eleanor (Suzanne Bertish), an older woman, longs for release and connection with her dead father; Dash (Devin Norik), a well to do young art collector who has lost his mother, is falling apart; and Claude (Jon Norman Schneider) is searching for identity and love. As a counterpoint to the four Americans, Mr. Dudley has written a delicious array of small characters played by Steven Rattazzi and Cheryl Stern. The play has a chamber music construction, with words and phrases passed among the performers and occasionally overlapping dialogue. This contributes to the play’s rich language, and because the composition is so finely tuned clarity is never lost.
Stephen Brackett directs with vivid imagination and the same attention to structure that Mr. Dudley uses in his writing. Lighting designer Brian Tovar and scenic designer Cameron Anderson show us the city of Paris using washes of color, doorways and niches.
The cast is magnificent, bringing vulnerability and boldness to their characters. Ms. Bertish is brilliant, commanding the stage vocally and viscerally. We need her on a New York stage regularly! Ms. Minifie is an appealing actress with delightful comic timing, and both Mr. Norik and Mr. Schneider bring a "wear your heart on your sleeve” honesty to their roles. The scrumptious Parisian pastry and whipped cream of the evening are Ms. Stern and Mr. Rattazzi; each creates six different and distinct characters. Ms. Stern’s pigeon is as adorable as her Green Absinthe Fairy is malicious. Mr. Rattazi is a comic genius; his creations include a lovesick gargoyle, Professor Ludwig El Silverman, chief curator at the Musée L’Homme, and a sewer rat.
City Of encourages us to defy colorless convention and tenaciously embrace our dream state, leading us on wonderful and curious adventures.
