Beau Willimon, author of sharp political dramas "Farragut North" and "House of Cards", experiments with a different kind of politics in "Breathing Time".  He presents us with an anonymous office somewhere in the Financial District, shared by a numbers guy and a marketing guy, in 2001.

The setting of "Breathing Time" is spot on.  An office complete with drab carpeting and fluorescent lighting, it is accented by desktop computers, flip phones, and a distinct lack of skinny jeans. The play takes place in the middle of the audience, tennis court style, with risers on either side of the set. This set up gives the sense that each side of the audience is on one of the character's teams, as if we're fighting for the guy at the desk in our corner.

The dramatic action of the play feels lackluster at first. We see the marketing guy and the numbers guy poke at one another, in the competitive, dickish way that I suppose colleagues at an office of such financial acumen do. The characters, Jack and Mike, are richly drawn and capably played by Craig Wesley Divino and Lee Dolson, but other than offend each other, they don't do much. Jack prepares for a huge presentation but the urgency seems false, since he never gets around to doing any work towards it.

However, the structure begins to make sense half way though the play. (Note: I'm about to reveal the turning point of "Breathing Time" here. I don't believe knowing this information will enhance or detract from your experience of the play, but if you'd rather be surprised, please stop reading now!)

It turns out that this ordinary day in the office in 2001 was September 11. The two men, and presumably an assistant who flits in and out, all perish in the attacks.  The second half of the play is completely unexpected. We see two women meeting at a restaurant for the first time. The women are Jack's sister and Mike's wife. Jack's sister arranged the meeting, but neither of the women, or the audience, is sure exactly why. It is tender and frustrating to see these two strangers united by grief try (and fail) to find common ground.

Plays about 9/11 are difficult, especially ones intended for a New York audience. "Breathing Time" successfully uses the attacks as a jumping off point, and focuses on individuals right before and right after the event. By giving us a glimpse into their lives, "Breathing Time" reminds us that the people who died on September 11 were ordinary: ambitious, sensitive, sometimes mean and misguided. It's a different kind of play, but one that ultimately works.