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Andy (Ted van Griethuysen) and Bel (Sybil Lines) in Harold Printer’s "Moonlight."
Father Andy (Ted van Griethuysen) is facing his last days with only his wife, Bel (Sybil Lines), to indulge his deathbed fear and nostalgia. Although he longs to see his children again, his daughter never appears to him and his sons are incommunicado. The two boys share a bed in a separate flat, rarely leaving the house or answering the phone, prattling to one another in an incomprehensible sibling-speak that often devolves into the mere listing of names. Anatol Yusef is fierce as the aggressive Jake while Tom Story plays brother Fred as an addle-brained fool. Story might be forgiven for such a choice given the obtuse material, but Yusef manages to bring commitment and intelligence to Jake even while muttering similarly impenetrable lines.
Van Griethuysen is touted at the star and while his performance is indisputably solid, he's also privileged with the clearest and cleverest lines, delivering such quips as "he never missed a day of night school." It's the masterful Sybil Lines as Bel who is most impressive. The most moving moments of the evenings are hers, first with a brief speech about a fleeting connection with another woman, and then again when she finally manages to reach her sons by phone. The cramped stage is used effectively to illustrate three primary spaces and the stark lack of color in both costumes and set suits the characters' desperation and disappointment.
Audience members are cautioned to attend with patience and an open mind, which includes shedding any prudery. Several play-goers remained in scandalized states throughout the night, gasping at every crude gesture and nearly fainting when Andy's pants fell down. At one point Andy muses, "How much sexual juice does a corpse retrain?" proving that vulgarity can be preferable to poetry; it may be offensive but it's also mercifully straightforward.
Moonlight continues at Studio Theatre through October 18. Tickets are $51-$56, showtimes vary. Consult the web site for more details.
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