Few things make me happier than seeing my husband K enjoy a
good laugh while he's watching a show. And so that alone would be reason enough
for me to cheer the revival (and Broadway debut) of Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby
Hero, which is now running at Second Stage Theater's newly renovated The Hayes
Theater through May 13 (click here to read more about the renovation).
However, there are also other reasons to cheer on this comic
tragedy's deep dive into the complexities of power, morality and loyalty. Set
in the lobby of an apartment building, it explores the interconnecting stories
of a sad-sack security guard named Jeff, his by-the-book supervisor William and
two beat cops, the macho veteran Bill and his female rookie partner Dawn.
Two things tie this foursome together: sexual rivalries over
Dawn and a horrendous crime that involves a relative of William's. Now, I know
none of this sounds funny but Lonergan has an ear for dialog and a taste for
the ribald that rivals that of Stephen Adly Giurgis or David Mamet. His
characters are laugh-out-loud funny even when they're just trading remarks about something as prosaic as who
should sign the building's guest book.
But the primary question they're dealing with is deadly
serious: is it more moral to tell the truth or to lie when you know that the
system is stacked for or against someone because of their gender or the color
of their skin? The characters know that
neither option is entirely right and the achievement of this production is that
it makes the viewer feel just as conflicted.
I saw Lobby Hero when it played at Playwrights Horizons back
in the spring of 2001 and I wasn't all that impressed. Maybe it's all the recent
stories about workplace harassment or the increased attention to the legal
system's mistreatment of black men but I responded viscerally this time. I
actually squirmed in my seat as the characters made their choices, whether
those decisions reflected good intentions or naked self-interest.
Much of the credit for that must go to director Trip Cullman
who remains surefooted as he walks the tricky path Lonergan has laid out. Cullman
is aided by David Rockwell's revolving set, which subtly mimics the characters'
and the audience's shifting perspectives; and by a crackerjack cast, drawn
primarily from movies and TV but still displaying impressive stage chops.
Most of the media attention has gone to Chris Evans, taking
a break from his role as Captain America in the Marvel superhero movies to play the alpha-male Bill. It's a juicy role, full of swagger and bravado and Evans has
fun with it. But he's stage wise enough to know that he could upset the
delicate balance Lonergan and Cullman have established and so he doesn't push too
hard (click here to read an interview with the actor).
Despite a tendency to talk a little too fast, Brian Tyree
Henry, best known as the rapper Paper Boi on the FX sitcom "Atlanta," brings a world-weary naturalism to
William that grounds the play in the realities of how difficult it can be to
break out of the role that society so often assigns black men.
The British actress Bel Powley is a touch too wide-eyed
for me, although that quality makes Dawn's determination to hold her own with
the boys all the more poignant.
But it's Michael Cera who emerges as first among equals in
this quartet. Skinny and nerdy looking, Cera has made a career out of playing
beta-male losers. Here, his Jeff is the quintessential Lonergan protagonist who is
eager to be seen as one of the guys but aware enough to know that he never will
be.
It's an award-worthy performance and Lonergan has already
signed up the actor, who also starred in the revival of This is Our Youth in 2014,
for this fall's revival of his play Waverly Gallery, which will also mark Elaine
May's return to the stage for the first time in 19 years, which is something else to cheer.
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