By James V. Ruocco
Often, with a two-character play, the decision to stage it and get it right is a challenge - pro and con -faced by most directors who address this particular kind of undertaking.
Is it timely?
Will it work?
Is it gimmicky?
Is it bold enough to stage?
Are the actor's right for their chosen roles?
Will an audience be moved, applaud or fall asleep?
Case in point: "This Bitter Earth" at TheaterWorks Hartford.
In the play - rightly performed without an intermission - a protest in Washington Square Park, brings Jesse, a gay black man together with Neil, his attractive white lover and an outspoken "Black Lives Matter" activist. As the story evolves, Neil becomes hellbent in the struggle himself while Jesse, in turn, is forced to examine his own political beliefs and his fight for acceptance in a prejudiced world without jeopardizing his gay relationship and love for his partner.
This puzzle, or tangled web, if you prefer, fuels "This Bitter Earth" with appropriate depth, drive, spunk and impact.
For the most part, it works.
A crafty piece of theatre, it is earnest, thought-provoking, invested and emotional. It is also flawed and off track if only fleetingly because sometimes it's not exactly clear what is the driving point behind certain passages of pivotal dialogue, story arcs, confessions, heated arguments, viewpoints and conclusions. A quick nip-and-tuck revision here and there is all that is needed to give this otherwise three-star production a push in the right direction. In its present form, it still carries a lot of weighty baggage which works most advantageously in terms of performance, staging and drama.
As playwright, Harrison David Rivers brings high expectations and vitality to "The Bitter Earth," which as presented here, works mostly in his favor. Told in upfront, slick, non-linear fashion, the play, set in New York City and St. Paul, Minnesota, moves back and forth in time from March 21, 2012 to December 15, 2015.
Fully conscious of the ticking voice of his characters, their beliefs and their arguments, he gives the piece a collective awareness and urgency that is often satisfying and driven. Never at a loss of words, - if he was, there would be no point to the play - he shags his way into the mindset of both men giving them ample room to speak, play, bitch, create and trade their private thoughts and opinions while baring their souls unobtrusively.
Blending fact and fiction into a heady mix of events, episodes and emotional grandstanding, they talk about Black Lives Matters, riots, loss, protests, coming out, being gay, fucking, one-night stands, freedom of expression, prejudice, penis size and erection, death, hateful acts, politics, meeting one's parents, social climate, debate and infidelity. It's all frank, matter-of-fact and in-your-face as Rivers sets standards high, offering words and dialogue rife with plenty of back story, finger-tapping, curiosity, connection, juiced-up confessions, signifying and opportunity.
A flaw within the TheaterWorks production - and others before it - is that certain set ups never reach their required potential. Rivers, as guide and instructor, develops an important scene, but sometimes, the end result isn't as fulfilling or as mind-blowing as it should be. What's going on? What's the connection? What are the characters trying to say? What are they thinking? More importantly, what are we, as an audience supposed to feel about a hate crime, a revelation, a compromise or a shift in time and place? Sadly, Rivers doesn't always have the right answers.
Staging "This Bitter Earth" director David Mendizabal ("On the Grounds of Belonging," "The Bandaged Place'') utilizes Riw Rakkulchon's sparse but atmospheric, lived-in set to full advantage as Jesse and Neil step forth into the spotlight to tell their particular stories. Since Rivers' piece is essentially about choices - politicized, revolutionary, divided - he invests the talky material with a theatrical truthfulness, thrust and sting that reflects the playwright's personal connection to the subject matter, its potential, its rage, its humor, its queerness and more importantly, the interracial love story between the two men that is its obvious centerpiece.
The latter is addressed openly and passionately as Neil and Jesse touch, kiss, cuddle and embrace lovingly and sensually, playfully ripping off each other's clothes, dropping their briefs, jumping on top of one another and rolling around their bed for some pretty hot-and-steamy gay sex. It's all tastefully done with absolutely no pornographic explicitness or undercurrents. In Mendizabal's eyes, two men having consensual gay sex is a thing of beauty, pleasure and delicate intimacy. You simply accept, enjoy and embrace it. There's no room for prudes in this theatrical outing.
As director, he also makes his mark with sounds, details, tappings, pings and movements, many of which heighten the play's chilling relevance, language, salutations and foreboding. There is both method and bite to his staging mechanics, coupled with an understanding of what's important here, what needs to be said, what is the playwright trying to communicate and what, are we, as audience, to take away with us when the houselights dim, the play is over and the actor's take their final bows.
Yes, the flaws - minor ones at that - remain, but they are not enough to derail the plot, the ending and the big reveal which occurs halfway through the production. The latter, is an important moment in "This Bitter Earth" and one that Mendizabal addresses with real compassion, tenderness and sensitivity. It's a surprise, of course, and one that changes the final outcome of the entire play completely.
"This Bitter Earth" stars Tom Holcomb as Neil and Damian Thompson as Jesse. Both members of Actor's Equity making their TheatreWorks Hartford debut, their combined efforts include acting roles in "London Assurance," "Ernest In Love," "The Broken Heart," "Transport," "Ghosts," "Fly," "Brother/Sister Plays," "An Ideal Husband" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
As Neil, Holcomb is attractive, opinionated, cocky, outspoken and passionate, all important character traits which make his performance stand out. He knows how to deliver a line, inhabit a part and effectively show his character's progression over a three-year span with a relaxed charm, angst and enthusiasm that makes his every moment on stage important. In the role of Jesse, Thompson is equally dynamic and convincing. As an actor, he delivers a energetic, detailed, charismatic performance fraught with real emotion, thrust and honesty. He is also well paired with Holcomb, a casting coup that makes their scenes with one other fierce, sensual, conversational, humorous, assertive and subtle. More importantly, both actors live inside the language of the piece, thus, making every word of Rivers' dialogue seem truthful even when it sputters or disconnects for a second or two before jumping back for a well-made point and plot twist as the story marches on toward its expected conclusion.
A sublime two-act play balanced by two exciting performances, a complicated but gratifying play script and enough twists and turns involving protests, opinion, choices, turmoil, romance and tragedy to keep it afloat for 95 minutes, "This Bitter Earth" is achingly creative in spite of some obvious loose ends and slip ups. You can see it LIVE or simply stay at home and stream it. It's a choice well worth taking.
Photos of "This Bitter Earth" courtesy of Mike Marques.
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