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Regional Reviews: New Jersey Three Men Lost in History Also see Bob's review of Your Blues Ain't Sweet Like Mine
Siegel has now returned to the Garage Group stage with his sophomore effort Lost in History. Although it again demonstrates the talent that Siegel displayed with his maiden effort and provides an involving evening of theatre, it plays more like a developmental workshop of a work in progress than a finished, fully realized play. The time is 2011 and the setting is an apartment in a Jewish assisted living facility in Los Angeles. Stanley Goldfarb shows us a more than fifty-year-old faded photography studio portrait of his extended immigrant family. The last surviving member of this family, Stanley fears that its historically important story will be lost. Implicit in this is his sense that few, if any, will care. Stanley's son, Ben dutifully visits his father every two weeks or so and helps with his shopping. It is not nearly often enough for the demanding and difficult Stanley who wants Ben to catalogue hundreds of old family photos. Stanley demands a lot for a lousy father who divorced Ben's mother to marry a woman with whom he had had an extramarital affair, leaving Ben, his sister, and their mother behind without ever much looking back into the rear view mirror. Isaac Strauss, a newly arrived facility resident, has been assigned to share Stanley's apartment. The Berlin born Strauss, the sole Holocaust survivor of his family, had been a renowned research psychologist. He is dignified and extremely tolerant of Stanley's rude behavior. However, much about him remains to be revealed. When Ben hears Isaac's name, he delightedly realizes that this is the man about whose theories he had written his master's thesis. Ben informs Isaac that he would like to interview him, adding somewhat puzzlingly that it is for a series of children's books that he is writing about events lost in history.
Ben is particularly impatient with his father at this point because he needs the time that his father is demanding to deal with the efforts that he and his partner Andrew are making to have children through the implantation in the womb of a surrogate, embryos which have been fertilized by one or the other's sperm. All of this and most of what follows is engrossing (only a back story involving another son that is unconvincing and appears pointless lacks interest). However, as of yet, it is not clear what the play is primarily about, what are the author's views concerning the issues that are raised, and just how we are to regard each of his protagonists. Even now, after having given much thought to Lost in History, I still don't know where to, and for what purpose, Siegel has taken us on this journey. The reliable Thom Molyneaux, a paragon of quiet, naturalistic acting, brings dignity and a palpable sense of despair to his Isaac. Joe Conboy is a convincing, dimensional Ben. Scott Zimmerman, who appears far too young and vigorous for the role of Stanley, never fails to make us aware of how elaborately he is acting. Producer-director Michael Bias has again heard the tune and tempo of the play at hand and directed it with strength and sensitivity. Perhaps the only misstep which he has taken is to have taken the wine out of the bottle a bit too soon. Lost in History is a most promising work in progress which is will reward any dedicated theatregoer's time and attention. And director Michael Bias throws in the bonus of a talkback with himself, cast and, maybe, the author after every performance. If you are reading this, you will surely have much to say after seeing this play. Enjoy! Lost in History continues performances (Evenings: Thursday-Saturday 8 pm/ Matinees: Sunday 3 pm) through May 3, 2015, at the Garage Theatre Group at the Becton Theatre on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, 960 River Road, Teaneck, NJ. Box Office: P.O. Box 252, Tenafly, NJ 07670; 201-569-7710. Online: www.GarageTheatre.org . Lost in History by Adam Siegel; directed by Michael Bias Cast |
