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Regional Reviews: San Francisco The Lake Effect Also see Jeanie's review of Show People and Richard's review of Home Street Home
Vijay (Adam Poss), a young Indian American man, cleans in an empty, dimly lit café in a cityscape where we can see snow, and lots of it, through the café windows. Rushing in to escape the weather is a rather large black man (Jason Bowen), who proceeds to occupy a table, despite protestations that the café is closed. Turns out Bernard has come to visit his good friend Vinny, the owner of the café, whom he has seen almost every day for the past year. But Vijay relates that his father Vinny is ill, upstairs in bed, and continues to insist that Bernard leave. Surprisingly, Bernard says he never heard Vinny mention a word about Vijay, nothing, ever; about his own daughter Priya, yes, but never anything about a son. This news sobers Vijay into a reluctant conversation with Bernard, as he begins to learn things about his father he never knew, not the least of which is that Vinny has become a gambler—a lucky one, at that. Priya (Nilanjana Bose) shows up alone in the next scene, immediately confirming our expectations about her character, and then is also interrupted by Bernard. She informs him of Vinny's death (our clue that several days have passed), but before that can fully sink in, Vijay returns, and the three begin a complex wrangle, caught up in need, envy, guilt, grief, and resentment. Bernard hastily exits, leaving brother and sister to rejuvenate their estranged relationship and rewrite the past, as the two uncover family secrets. The last scene reunites all three to sort out the complex relationships and feelings, with major revelations and reversals. Joseph charts each character's emotional arc in oblique strokes, the unsaid and intangible hanging heavily in the room, outweighing the blistering words. The wounded characters need to find their way to each other and to their own hearts. Yet there's missing emotion, too; despite the excellent acting, so much is hidden, understated, or avoided that it's vaguely unsatisfying. The play feels like a short story, merely a broad stroke with the playwright's brush, leaving us perhaps a bit puzzled and unsure of what has transpired. Poss here reprises the role he premiered in Chicago, utterly natural and believable as the frustrated and resentful son. He's well-matched by Bowen as the affable, somewhat naïve Bernard, and Bose as the grasping but vulnerable Priya. Their sparring has the ring of authenticity, even though none of them reaches high peaks of anger or sadness. It's hard to tell if that's an interpretive choice or embedded in the play's world—and raises questions about differing standards, or children of immigrants, or clashing cultures—but none of those adequately explains the avoidance of strong emotions. It's clearly not due to acting deficiencies. Wilson Chin's café set and wintry exterior are lovely, detailed and functional. Lighting by Matthew Johns beautifully complements the action, the exterior illumination highlighting the wistful snow or communicating time of day. Brendan Aanes adds evocative sound design, and Jill Bowers defines characters well through costume. Director Giovanna Sardelli has put together an attractive show with outstanding actors, illuminating an intriguing, if somewhat mystifying, play. The Lake Effect by Rajiv Joseph, presented by TheatreWorks at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto; through March 29, 2015. Tickets $19 - $73, available at www.theatreworks.org or 650-463-1960.
- Jeanie K. Smith |
