On the mainstage at 59E59 there's Threesome by Yussef El Guindi. Leila (Alla Attallah) and Rashid (Karan Oberoi), Egyptian Americans with ties to Cairo, attempt to
solve their relationship issues by inviting a relative stranger, Doug (Quinn
Franzen), into their bedroom to indulge in
a three-way. It doesn’t solve much, of course, and only amplifies the problems
as comic clumsiness gives way to revelation. Much more than sexual politics are
in the mix here, or anyway much more than “simply” the sexual politics of
single relationship. Because of who these people are and what they do, the
issues become very weighted and very global; and sex comedy morphs into
scathing social drama.
Under
the direction of Chris Coleman, this
well-acted import from the Portland Stage Center (complete with its original cast) earns its acclaim
honestly, at least to the extent that as a sexual dialectic (the
bait-and-switch that renders the brief glimpses of nudity just a necessary
device along the way), it’s never dull. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about
where it leads us, though. To discuss too far past the initial premise is to
anticipate that which (I assume) is meant to take us by surprise, but I will
say this: Though the particulars of the Egyptian culture add a memorable
specificity to milieu and event, there is still a general conclusion about the
difference between men and women that I find bothersomely familiar; I dare not
lay out my objection in detail, lest that be a spoiler too. I suppose what I
can say is that we’re presented with a conclusion about an aspect of society,
as an implied universal truth…and while it undoubtedly, sadly, obtains in many
quarters and environments, it just as undoubtedly doesn’t speak for everyone.
But that shouldn’t stop you from attending. What the hell: a play can do lots
worse than give you something to spiritedly debate afterwards.
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