AISLE
SAY New York
LOOKING
FOR THE PONY
by Andrea Lepcio
Directed by Steven Golux
Starring J. Smith-Cameron and Dierdre O'Connell
Vital Theatre at the McGinn/Cazale
2162 Broadway at 76th Street
Official Website
Every
few years, a drama about a character facing impending death via disease
emerges, and in my experience, most of these, be they filmed or staged,
seem to
land hugely with audiences. I remember hit films (like Bang the
Drum Slowly and Terms
of Endearment); TV
movies that attained iconic status (like BrianÕs
Song, Griffin Loves Phoenix and Thursdays
with Morrie); of course
the two
genre-defining AIDS plays (the gentle As Is and the raging The Normal Heart); and arguably the best, for being
unsentimental
yet poetic, Wit. What
all the
entries in the genre have in common is heart, compassion, some varying
measure
of infectious outrage, and of course the mirror up to our own fears
about
facing The End. (Which reminds me: the Burt Reynolds film about a guy
looking
into the abyss: The End.)
But
they also have something else. At the core, they have solidly to
phenomenally
interesting main characters. (And/or a great premise: in Griffin
Loves
Phoenix, a.k.a. Griffin
and
Phoenix, by John Hill,
the
titular lovers [Peter Falk and Jill Clayburgh first, Amanda Peet and
Dermot
Mulroney in the remake] start an affair by way of finding refuge from
eachÕs
own pending mortalityÑand for the longest time, neither one realizes
that
the other is also dying.) And I kind of think thatÕs whatÕs missing in Andrea
LepcioÕs Looking
for the
Pony. The characters are respectable enough:
two
sisters, one a lesbian budding writer (J. Smith-Cameron); the other a tireless volunteer for
good causes,
wife and mother (Dierdre OÕConnell)Ñthe
former being the support system, the latter being the victim. If
thereÕs a
theme running throughout the play itÕs about the fight to retain
normalcy in
life (pursuit of career and training, the continuation of good works
and family
obligations) when thereÕs a fundamentally abnormal condition imposed.
And the
characters (who could not be played better) face it all bravely,
candidly,
humorouslyÉbut I think, in the end, maybe, maybe, itÕs their normalcy and quest to
maintain normalcy that
kept me and my companion of the evening at a distance from the play.
Plus,
the piece is full of elements that made me constantly mindful that I
was
watching a play,
mostconspicuous among them, the sub-plot of the ÒhealthyÓ sister
wanting to be a writer, getting
what
seems particularly unhelpful and generic guidance from an established
guru of the
lit
world who refuses to let up on her just because she has a family
crisis. I
have no idea, absolutely none, whether or not Looking for the Pony is overtly or
even
subtly autobiographical, but it has the feel of an author projecting
herself
into the drama because both the goal and the writer-speak are amorphous.
My
companion and I were split on the two remaining cast members, who play
multiple
roles: She rather liked Lori Funk and
Debargo Sanyal; I
didnÕt think
either had quite enough range for the task, and thus emphasized even
further
for me the work being done to put the tale across.
Direction
by Stephen Golux is
dignified
and understated, which is about right; but also low on perceptible
inspiration
and nuance. All in all, a sincere and well-meaning effort, but the
sense of
effort is what quietly permeates.
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