Dans Papers - June 1, 2007 - review: things being what they are

Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor just opened its Mainstage summer season with Wendy MacLeod's comedy Things Being What They Are. It is a brief, intense commentary on the basic human need for love and connection, and most of the biting dialogue is right on target.

The two-person show is sharply acted by Brian D'Arcy James and Tom McGowan, aided and abetted in comically peeling off their characters' layers of protection and pain by director Leonard Foglia. All three are Broadway veterans, as are the rest of the production's creative crew, a hallmark of Bay Street Theatre shows.

The set-up: Bill (D'Arcy James) has just moved in to a suburban condo complex when his neighbor Jack (McGowan) stops in to introduce himself and check out the newcomer. Jack comes across at first as a loud, intrusive, lonely, obnoxious man. He later adds "liar" to his personality description but will reveal two hurtful secrets that eventually make him a character one can sympathize with. Bill is more physically attractive, and more reserved; also, honest and forthright, he has his own issues.

Jack is divorced and has children. When Bill calls him a divorcee, Jack responds, "A divorcee is a woman. Men get to wipe the slate clean." He at first tells Bill he views marriage as protection from being alone. Bill, who is married, sees "marriage as a base from which you go off and do things."

So, in the opening scene, we seem to have an "Odd Couple" sitcom, but the final scene of this one-acter gets a little deeper. We glimpse the painful realities beneath the wit. As Jack remarks, "What we think will happen [in our lives] is [the view of] youth. What really happens is middle age"--thus the title of the comedy, Things Being What They Are.

Playwright Wendy MacLeod is a much-produced dramatist who is the playwright-in-residence at her alma mater, Kenyon College. This comedy came about when she decided to write a play based on an assignment she gave her students: write a play with characters of the opposite gender. She tried it herself and accurately captures the feelings and interplay between her two male protagonists.

Brian D'Arcy James is a musical comedy star (most recently in The Apple Tree, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Sweet Smell of Success) as well as an actor (The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Good Thief). He is quite touching and appealing as Bill. Tom McGowan, as Jack, is also a Broadway veteran (Chicago, Ivanov, La Bete) who audiences may recognize from his recurring television roles on Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond. He is very affecting as he works his way into Jack's core.

Leonard Foglia directs these two fine actors with pace, sensitivity and understanding. Brian Nason's lighting, Tony Melfa's sound design, and Rebecca Lustig's costumes bring the two characters crisply and sharply into focus. Michael McGarty's set is clean, spare and genetic, as the script requires, adding a touch of color with the backdrop.

Things Being What They Are debuted at the Seattle Repertory Theater and then headed east to Chicago where it was a hit at Steppenwolf Theater. This Bay Street production marks its East Coast premiere. Performances began on May 22 and only continue through this Sunday, June 3. Tickets are available at the box office (631-725-9500) or online at www.baystreet.org.