Reviewed by Judy Richter
Theresa Rebeck's "Mauritius" is one edgy play -- edgy
as in it keeps you on the edge of your seat. You're not quite sure what's going
to happen next, especially in the Magic Theatre production staged by artistic
director Loretta Greco.
It
starts quietly enough when a young woman, Jackie (Zoë Winters) enters a shabby-looking stamp
shop where the owner, Philip (Warren David Keith), sits at his desk reading a
book. After a minute or two, it's obvious that he's ignoring her despite her
efforts to get his attention. She wants him to look at a stamp collection given
to her by her late mother. He rudely brushes her off, telling her he can't be
bothered. A young man, Dennis (James Wagner), who has been quietly sitting
in the corner, intervenes, urging Philip to at least look, but he refuses.
Dennis glances through the book, evidently seeing enough to convince him that
it would be worth his while to follow her and see where she lives.
Thus
begins the battle for a pair of extremely rare stamps from Mauritius, an island
in the Indian Ocean. Dennis tells a rich, stamp-collecting friend, Sterling (Rod
Gnapp), about
the stamps. Sterling doesn't believe him but wants to see them nonetheless. In
the meantime, Jackie's older half-sister, Mary (Arwen Anderson), who has come home to help
Jackie go through their mother's things, wants the stamp collection herself because
it came from her grandfather. Eventually Jackie, Dennis and Sterling meet at
Philip's shop to negotiate Sterling's purchase of the two stamps.
Rebeck
has created five unique characters who, with their ways of talking and
behaving, probably would be at home in a play by David Mamet. Even though we don't know much
about them, such as their occupations (except for Philip), outside the world of
the play, each is sharply defined by the actors. The only character that the
audience can begin to trust is Jackie, and even she has her moments of
unpredictability to go with her vulnerability. She's also a tough negotiator in
the face of Gnapp's scary, expletive-spouting Sterling, a man who seems to get
a sensuous, almost sexual pleasure from the thought of owning such extreme
rarities in the world of philately. Wagner's Dennis is a smooth, charming
operator, but his motives are highly suspect. Anderson's Mary becomes more
selfish and devious as the play progresses, and even Keith's Philip shows a
sleazy side in a game of shifting alliances.
James
Faerron's set
easily switches from Philip's shop to Jackie's messy apartment. Costumes by Alex
Jaeger and
lighting by Sarah Sidman enhance the drama, as does the sound design by production
director Sara Huddleston. The fight choreography is by Dave Maier.
The
play also is thought-provoking, especially as it examines not only issues of
trust but also the question of what constitutes value. Is it how much someone
is willing to pay for something? Is it something unique in the world? Issues of
utility have no bearing here. After all, the two stamps are just two tiny
pieces of paper. Yes, they're old, and a printing error makes them unique, but
you can no longer use them to mail a letter. However, if you want to sell them,
you can make millions, and if you're rich enough to buy them, you have bragging
rights. For the avid collector like Sterling, evidently that's enough.
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